Forever Isn't Long Enough
by It'smylifenow
Summary: Isabella Mikaelson believed she had the perfect family. They were all so close until everything they knew was turned upside down. Now she was out for revenge against Klaus. He had taken away her family. She felt lost without them. Especially her twin brother, Kol. Now she returned to Mystic Falls for the final show down. But will love blind her and make her forget her goal?
1. Chapter 1: Isabella Mikaelson

**Forever Isn't Long Enough**

**Glee and Twilight Crossover**

_Isabella Mikaelson loved her family. She loved running through the forest with them. She loved laughing with them. She even loved sword fighting with them. She had been the best. Better than all her brothers. She could never imagine a better life. She had even fallen in love with the man she knew she would marry. He accepted her for who she was and she accepting him for what he was. A werewolf. The only problem was Kol. He was very overprotective. He had been ever since the day they were born. He had only been born 2 minutes before her, but he considered himself the bigger brother. The brother that was supposed to keep her safe. She could never be mad at him for it. She loved that he was always looking out for her. Except he wouldn't leave her alone with the man that she loved. He was worried that he would hurt her. This was the only time she just wanted him to leave her alone. But still, she loved her family. Until the day that their mother and father had decided to change everything. The day that their family fell apart. _

* * *

*present day*

Bella had to get away from the Cullen's. They were starting to get suspicious of her. They knew that she wasn't exactly what she said she was. It was hard for her to pretend to be an ordinary human. Especially since she had decided to be such a clumsy one it was even harder. She had decided to date Edward Cullen only so she could figure out what they were. She knew they were vampires, but everything about them was off. They were pale and cold. And they oddly sparkled in the sun. After a while of that she had become fed up with them. They were a weaker species and couldn't control themselves around blood.

She looked into Edward's eyes, "I'm sorry I can't do this anymore. I just don't feel the original connection and it is time I moved on to bigger things."

His mouth dropped and he sputtered, "B-but…I thought that you loved me. I thought that we would be together forever."

She tilted her head sympathetically, "It was a high school romance. We were always meant to have an expiration date."

Edward growled, "This is because of **_him_** isn't it?"

She knew who he was talking about. Jacob Black. He was her best friend. He was the only one here that knew the truth about her. He was the only one that she trusted with her life. He was the only one that understood. Edward had always been jealous of their friendship. It didn't help that they were 'mortal enemies.'

She rolls her eyes and sighs heavily, "No. I have told you a million times. Jacob and I are friends. Nothing else. I just don't love you anymore. I don't think I ever really did."

Edward shakes his head, "You are lying. I know you love me. You are just scared. I can wait. We are meant for each other."

Bella was starting to lose her patience. He was so aggravating. She wished she had never been to this stupid town, but she had been chasing Klaus and for some reason the rumor mill had pointed her in this direction. She was 100% positive that she had been lied to. Klaus was on to her. And he was hiding something that he didn't want her to know.

She frowned deciding to do something that she wanted to avoid. She looked him in the eye, "You don't love me anymore. You never really did. You are going to move on and fall in love with someone who will love you as much as you deserve to be loved. You will have a happier life without me."

Edward nods with a distant look in his eyes, "I don't love you anymore. I never really did. It is time for me to move on."

Bella smiles and turns away. Now all she had to do was make Charlie forget her. She was a little disappointed with that because he had been a great father to her. She hated that she had to use him to make her back story seem more legitimate. She would miss him and she didn't like that he was alone. She had already told Jake that she was leaving and made him promise to look after Charlie.

* * *

She arrived in Mystic Falls 3 days later. She had decided to get results the old fashioned way. By threatening lives. Not her favorite way but effective. That was the only thing she had learned from Klaus after his transformation. She remembered when he was sweeter and more of a brother. She shakes her head. She didn't want to remember how her life used to be. Every time she did she broke down in tears. She walked into the Mystic Grill and sat at the bar.

A blonde boy with gorgeous blue eyes walked over to her with a towel over his shoulder. He smiles brightly when he sees her, "Hi. New in town?"  
Bella couldn't help but admire his good looks. She grins, "Kind of. I was born here, but haven't been back in a long, long time, but if I had known you were gonna be here I would have never left."

He laughs, "Well then welcome back to town. My name is Matt Donovan."

She smiles, "I'm Isabella Mi-Swan. But you can call me Bella, handsome."

He laughs harder, "You are quite the flirt, Bella. Can I get something for you?"  
She shrugs, "Could I get bourbon?"

He looks her up and down and shakes his head, "Only if I could see some i.d."

She sighs overdramatically, "I knew you were going to say that. I will just have a cherry coke please."

He nods and walks away. She looks around the Grill and freezes when she sees a girl that she never wanted to see again. Katerina Petrova.

Matt walks over with her drink, "Bella?" He taps her shoulder, "Hello."

She swings back around, "Sorry. Thank you." She looks over her shoulder, "Do you know who that is? She looks familiar."

He looks over at the table that she was staring at and raises a brow, "Elena? I doubt you would know her. I have known her my whole life. I even dated her."  
She lets out a sigh of relief and then she is hit with realization. Klaus found out about her. That is what he is doing, "This is going to be a random question, but do you by any chance know Klaus?"

His eyes widen and a look of fear crosses his handsome face. She puts her hand over her face, "Shit." She looks over as the door opens and sees none other than Damon Salvatore walk in, "What the hell is he doing here?"

She had never met him personally, but she had heard of the Salvatore brothers back when she was tracking Katerina. That had been a horrible part of her life.

Matt frowns at her, "How do you know him? And how do you know Klaus? Who are you?"

Bella sighs and smiles, "It doesn't matter. I…I have to go. It was nice meeting you Matt. I'm sorry for everything."

He frowns as he watches her leave.

* * *

Damon walks over to Elena and sits across from her. She looks up with tears in her eyes and he sighs. He grabs her hand and tries to comfort her, "Stefan will be back, Elena. But until then you have to live your life. Do the senior prank tonight and just forget about everything. Just for a little while."

Elena gives him a small smile, "Fine, Damon. I will. You are right. Life doesn't stop just because Stefan abandons us. It goes on."

Damon laughs and nods, "That's the spirit." He rolls his eyes when Matt walks over, "What do you want, busboy?"

Matt glares at him, "I just thought I would let you know that there was a girl in town who was asking about Elena and Klaus." He turns to leave, but hesitates, "She also recognized you. Her name is Isabella Swan."

Damon and Elena exchange a look of concern. Damon tries to remember all the people that he had met. Isabella Swan did not sound familiar. He stands up and grabs Matt's shoulder, "What exactly did she say about Elena?"  
Matt shrugs, "She asked who she was and said that she looked familiar. Then she had this horrified expression and asked about Klaus."

Damon runs his hand through his hair, "This could be a problem."  
Elena shakes her head, "Maybe not. I mean if she was horrified at the sound of his name then she would most likely be on our side."

Damon smirks, "You would trust a bee that was threatening to sting you."

Elena frowns, "I think I am going to go meet Caroline and Bonnie." She picks up her coat and purse, "Are you going tonight Matt?"  
Matt grins, "Of course. We are only seniors once, right?"

* * *

Bella watches the doppelganger as she gets out of the car with a blonde girl and a dark haired girl. They were at the high school. She watched as they carried in supplies. What would a bunch of teenagers be doing at school in the middle of the night? She was about to get out of the car when she sees more cars pull up. The first one was a dark haired boy, who was rather hot. She laughed to herself. What were they feeding these boys? She watched as Matt walked over to him and they laughed at something she didn't hear. She decided to wait a few minutes before getting out of the car.

"Izzy?"

She freezes when she hears the old nickname only her sister had called her. She slowly turns around and gasps, "Becks? He let you out?" She runs over and hugs her sister close, "I have missed you."

Rebekah hugs her little sister back and feels tears start to fall down her face, "I thought he killed you, Iz."

Bella smiles through the tears falling down her face, "You should have known better. I am indestructible."

Rebekah laughs, and then sobers up as she looks around, "You need to get out of here. If he sees you…"

Bella touches Rebekah's cheek, "Don't worry about me. I can't let him hurt those people in there. The doppelganger…" She stops when she hears his voice in the distance. She looks at her sister and puts her finger in front of her mouth. She slowly backs away and mouths, "Don't tell."

She speeds off when Rebekah nods. She hadn't expected this outcome. She didn't really know what was going on, but she knew that she had to get them all out of there before there was a blood bath. She sped around to the back side of the building and snuck in. She looked around trying to get her bearings. She listened and heard the familiar voice of Matt.

She walks around the corner and he stops along with the dark haired girl, "What are you doing here?"  
Bella thought about lying, but figured it would be useless and a waste of time, "Klaus is here. You are all in danger. We need to find Elena."

The girl frowns at her, "And who are you?"

Bella rolls her eyes, "Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? It's not like we are in danger or anything. Just come with me and help me get everyone out of here!"

Matt shrugs at Bonnie and follows Bella. Bonnie sighs heavily and reluctantly follows them. Matt directs her to the gym where Elena, Caroline and Tyler were. On the way Bella was compelling people to leave until school starts the next morning. She had no time to argue with a bunch of teenagers. They reach the door to the gym and her heart stops.

She puts her hand up, "He's here. You two should go."

Bonnie shakes her head, "Hell, no. Those are my closest friends in there. I can help. I am a witch."

Bella sighs, "Of course. Just stay behind me."

They nod and Bella opens the door and screams, "No!"

They all gasp as Tyler falls to the floor. Caroline falls next to him, sobbing. Elena stands back in horror. Rebekah looks at Bella shaking her head. Bella looks over at Klaus who grins sadistically.

He looks at Bella and his smile grows, "Hello, baby sister. Glad you could join the party."

Everyone turns to look at her in shock.


	2. Chapter 2: I Miss My Big Brother

**A/N: So it was pointed out to me that I made a mistake in the very beginning with the title. It says Glee and Twilight crossover instead of Vampire Diaries and Twilight. Let me explain. I was attempting to write a different story that just wasn't working out the way I had hoped so I deleted it and started over. Instead of changing Glee to Twilight I changed Vampire Diaries to Twilight. Lol oops. Anyways thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)))**

**P.s I made Rebekah older than Kol because i want Bella to be the baby sister and the two of them are twins. haha**

**XOXO**

* * *

Bella ignored everyone who was gaping at her and flew towards Klaus. She was so beyond angry. He had to kill everyone who was near him. She tackled him to the floor and had a second to be satisfied before she was thrown across the room and into someone who had been walking through the door. She groaned and looked up at the person she was now on top off.

Stefan looks down at her, "Are you ok?"

She slowly gets up, pulling him with her, "Yeah, I'm fine." She turns to Klaus, "Klaus, stop messing with these kids." She still wanted to tackle him, but he was stronger than she remembered him being. Something was different, "They didn't do anything to deserve this."  
Klaus just laughed, "Why don't you tell that to Stefan."

Elena ran over to him when her feet were able to move again, "Stefan! Where have you been? I have missed you."  
Bella groans, "Oh you have to be kidding me!" She runs a hand through her hair, "You Salvatore brothers will never learn." She turns back to Klaus, "So some of them are idiots, but the-"

She stops when Tyler moans, "What the hell just happened? I feel like I was just run over by a bus."

Caroline grabs him and kisses him, "You are alive. I was so scared."

Klaus grins, "For now. You have to find out why I can't make hybrids. You better be fast or he will die for good." Klaus speeds over to Stefan and looks in his eyes, "If they don't have the answer in 20 minutes kill Elena."

Elena's eyes widen, "What? Stefan, no."

Bella grabs Klaus's arm, "You can't do this. You can't run other people's lives. You are not more important than the rest of us."

Klaus touches her cheek, "Oh sweet Isabella. Always the good one." He moves his hand back and grabs her hair, yanking her head back as he whispered in her ear, "I get what I want. And I want my hybrid army."

Bella turned her head slightly, "I will never let you have what you want! You took my brother and the rest of my family away and I am going to make you pay!"

He laughs, "So you are just going to let that boy die? Wouldn't that be just as bad as killing him yourself."

She looks up at the crying blonde who was holding the young man close to her. Bella twisted and kicked Klaus in the gut making him fly back against the wall. She sighs, "Elena, let Tyler drink your blood."

Stefan and Elena both scream, "What?"

Bella walks over to them, "He needs doppelganger blood to finish the transition. That was why you were supposed to die. The original witch made the curse so that he would have to kill you to transition but would never be able to make his hybrids. Since you apparently found a loophole, you kind of ruined everything."

Elena looks down at the ground, "How do you know all of this?"  
Bella touches her shoulder comfortingly watching as Stefan's hands curled into fist, "My mother told me before she died. She knew that I would never reveal that to Klaus." She sighs, "Until now, when I have to save lives as usual."

Elena looks at Stefan who hesitantly nods his encouragement. She walks forward and cuts her wrist, "Tyler, drink my blood. Just not all of it, please."

Tyler shakes his head, "No, I-I can't. What if I kill you?"

Caroline touches his cheek, "Don't worry. You are surrounded by a bunch of vampires who can stop you. Please drink her blood."

Klaus watches from across the room as Tyler drinks the doppelgangers blood. He smiles as he sees the change in him and speeds over grabbing Elena. Before he could get to the door Rebekah stands in front of him, "Where do you think you are going?"

He growls and grits his teeth, "Get out of my way, Rebekah!"

She shakes her head angrily, "No! I watched as you took my family away one by one! I watched when you almost killed Izzy! And still I stood by your side! And the one time I try to do something that would make me happy, you dagger me and stash me in a box! I am done standing by and watching you wreak havoc!"

Klaus was about to shove his hand in her chest when Bella runs in front of her, screaming, "NO!"

She gasps as his hand goes through her and wraps around her heart, "Oh my sweet baby sister, always trying to be the hero."

Bella breathes heavily and looks into his eyes, "Do it! Rip my heart out. Show them all how cruel you really are. Killing one of your siblings."

He laughs at her bravery, "You know I would never kill you. You should have figured that out a long time ago. But I will get what I want."

He takes his hand out and she falls to the ground. Rebekah kneels down next to her and hugs her, "You didn't have to do that, Iz."

Klaus turns to Stefan, "It is obvious where your loyalty still lies." He looks in his eyes and compels him, "Turn it off. Turn off all your emotions."

Elena gasps, "No! Stefan, don't. You can resist this. Please, no!"

Stefan yells, "No!"

Klaus glares and grabs Stefan's neck, "TURN IT OFF! YOU WILL ONLY BE LOYAL TO ME!"  
Stefan tries to resist, but he feels his resistance stop and turns everything off. He looks up at everyone with a cold and distant look in his eyes. Elena falls to the floor sobbing.

Bella looks up at Klaus, "You will pay for everything you have done."

Klaus ignores her and looks at Rebekah, "If you turn against me, I will kill her. And the blood of your only sister will be on your hands."

Rebekah looks at Bella with tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry, Izzy. What do you want me to do, Klaus?"

Klaus smiles as Bella sobs into her hands, "Snap her neck and come with Stefan and me."

Rebekah nods and looks at Bella apologetically, snapping her neck. Klaus grabs Elena again and speeds out with Stefan and her closely following. Caroline walks slowly over to Bella and kneels down, "We have to get her out of here."

Bonnie shakes her head, "I don't know if that is a good idea. She is related to them and last time we trusted someone in that family he betrayed us."

Matt frowns at Bonnie, "She nearly died trying to save us. She is the reason Tyler is alive. We can't just leave her here."

Bonnie sighs, "Fine. Let's take her to the Salvatore boarding house. There I will do a locator spell and figure out where Elena is."

Matt picks her up and they all walk out the door solemnly.

* * *

"Why the hell did you bring her here?"

Bella was just waking up when she heard his muffled voice. She wasn't sure if he was in the room with her or if she was still readjusting. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into the angry blue ones that were looking at her. She rubbed the back of her neck as she sat up. She looked around trying to figure out where she was. It was a nice place. Spacious and had obviously been decorated by a man who had great taste. She looked back towards angry blue eyes and noticed all the other people staring at her.

She rubbed her head as she remembered the events that had happened that night, "Where am I?" She jumped up when she remembered the doppelganger, "Where is…what was her name…Elena? Please tell me you didn't let Klaus take her?"  
She looked from person to person and they all looked down at their feet. She angrily punched her fist into the couch, "Why the hell are you all sitting around looking at me? Do you not care if she dies? Or the fact that her blood will build Klaus's army?"

She waited for someone to answer, but the room remained silent. Without waiting for them to speak she sped out and went to the one place she could think of that would be able to keep Elena alive and get him as much blood as he wanted. She couldn't believe those people would let him do this to their friend. She walks into the hospital and walks towards the rooms. She peaks in every window.

She sighs when she finally finds the right door. Elena weakly looks over at her as she walks in, "Bella? What are you doing here?" She shrinks back in fear.

Bella smiles warmly at her, "Don't worry. I am here to save you. I won't let my brother hurt you."

She picks Bella up and races into the forest before stopping, "Where do you live?"

She follows Elena's directions as she speeds through the forest. They reach her porch when the door is thrown open. A young dark haired boy stands in the doorway with worry in his eyes, "Who are you? What are you doing with my sister?" He looks at Elena, "Are you ok? What the hell happened?"  
Bella smiles at him, "My name is Isabella Mikaelson." She winces when he glares at her, "I just wanted to make sure your sister got home safe."

Elena weakly looks into her brother's eyes, "We can trust her Jeremy. Invite her in."

Jeremy hesitates and looks into Bella's eyes, "Come in, Isabella."

Bella nods and carries Elena into the living room, setting her down on the couch. An older man rushes down the stairs and into the room looking between the three of them, "What is going on?"  
Bella ignores him and looks at Elena, "Do you need my blood? It will help you heal a lot faster."

Elena nods, "That is probably good idea. I think I am going to need as much strength right now."

Before Bella could bite into her wrist Jeremy stops her, "Before you do that I want to make something very clear. You hurt my sister in anyway and I will kill you."

Elena rolls her eyes, "Jeremy, you can't kill her. She is original."

Alaric's head snaps up and he yells, "You invited an original vampire into the house? What the hell were you thinking?"  
Bella held up her hands to silence them, "Just let me heal her and I will explain everything. Please."

Alaric was about to say something when he looked down at Elena. He closes his mouth and nods. Bella extends her fangs and bites her wrist. She holds it to Elena's lips and she drinks it. Elena smiles gratefully and sits up already feeling much better.

She takes Bella's hand, "Thank you. For everything. I know how hard it was for you."

Bella smiles, "Like Klaus said, I love being the hero."

Elena laughs gently, "You are a good one."

Alaric rolls his eyes, "Before the two of you decide to start making out, can someone please tell me what the hell happened?"

Bella sits next to Elena on the couch and they slowly start to explain everything.

* * *

Bella sits in the Gilbert kitchen with Jeremy and Elena watching Alaric prepares dinner. She feels a tear escape and fall down her face. She tries to rub it away discreetly, but Elena notices. "Is everything ok, Bella?"

Bella smile sadly, "Sitting here like this watching you guys talk and laugh while your…guardian…cooks you dinner. It reminds me of how my family used to be. Nik wasn't always like this. He liked to get his way, but he would be fine as long as the rest of us were happy. I miss it so much. I miss him."

Jeremy touches her hand that was lying on the counter, "We know how hard it is to lose family."

Elena smiles gently at her, "Tell us."

Bella frowns, "What?"  
Elena laughs, "Tell us how it used to be."

Before Bella could speak the door burst open and Damon storms in, "You invited her in? Are you all crazy? We barely know her. For all we know this could be an act."

Elena rolls her eyes, "Shut up Damon! Bella was about to tell us a story."

Bella grins at her, "Fine. Before our parents turned us, we were all really close. Elijah was the oldest, then Finn, Nik, Rebekah, Kol and me, and finally Henrik…"

* * *

_**flashback**_

_Isabella ran into the forest trying to hide from Nik. He was near enough that she could hear his footsteps but far enough away that she couldn't see him. She found a thick tree and hid behind it trying to top herself from breathing._

_Nik yells, "Isabella! Come out from hiding. I will find you!"_

_Isabella suppresses a giggle as he tries to flatten herself as close to the tree as possible. She heard a twig snap right next to her and gasps. Nik looks over and grins wickedly. Before she could run he tackles her to the ground. She laughs hysterically as she falls to the ground._

_Nik laughs along with her, "I always win this game."_

_She slaps his arm, "One day big brother, I will beat you. Just wait."_

_Before he could tease her back, Kol stand over them and looks at the two of them lying on the ground side by side. He glares at Nik, "Nik! I told you not to tackle her like that! You could have hurt her!"_

_Isabella rolls her eyes at her twin brother, "Oh, Kol. Why do you always have to ruin our fun?_

_Kol gives her a look that had her grab Nik's hand, "You need to stop acting like you are so tough. He is older and stronger than you. He could hurt you."  
Nik squeezes her hand and stands up, "Kol you know I would never hurt sweet little Isabella. We were just messing around and having fun."_

_Bella pouts and grabs Kol's hand, "Come on, Kol. Loosen up. Have a little fun."_

_Kol smiles widely and she squeals as he reaches out and wraps his arms around his waist and picks her up, spinning her around. She kicks and screams playfully, "Nik! Help me!"_

_Nik laughs and starts to chase Kol who had thrown Bella over his shoulder. They race to the clearing where the rest of their siblings were. Elijah looks over as they come running towards them and laughs, "You three are insane."_

_Isabella smiles sweetly at him while still trying to escape Kol's grip, "We are just having fun. Kol! You can put me down now!"_

_Kol shakes his head, "Why would I do that? You are less annoying when you are this way."_

_Rebekah gasps, "Uh oh. You are starting trouble, Kol. You know she hates it when you call her annoying."_

_Isabella finally gets herself free and flutters her eyelashes innocently, "I would never start trouble, Becks. But you better keep one eye open when you sleep tonight."_

_They all laugh. They stop when they see Mikael walk over, "Where have you been?" He looks accusingly at Nik, "I told you to stay away from the forest!"_

_Isabella steps in front of Nik, "Daddy, it wasn't his fault. He followed me in there. To make sure I was ok."_

_Mikael glared at her and she turned into Nik's arms, letting the tears fall down her face. Nik soothed her and glared back at their father, "Leave her alone!"_

_Mikael grabs her arm and pulls her away from Nik, "You need to stop babying her. It's time she grows up." She yells out in pain as he yanks her closer to him, "Why did you go into the forest."_

_She sobs, "I don't know! I just wanted to run around and have fun."_

_He smacks her across the face so hard she falls to the ground. Kol and Nik try to run forward but are held back by Elijah and Finn. Rebekah runs over to Isabella and hugs her close. Trying everything she can to stop the girls sobs._

_Esther touches her husband's shoulder, "I think she has learned her lesson, Mikael. Let them be."_

_Mikael glares at them one last time, then turns to go inside the house._

_Nik turns to Elijah, "Why did you hold me back?"  
Elijah looks at their baby sister, "I didn't want to hurt her any more than he already did."_

_Nik turns to Isabella and kneels beside his sisters, "I am so sorry, baby girl."_

_Kol also sits next to them and squeezes her hand, "He won't ever harm you like that again. I don't care what we have to do."_

_Rebekah shakes her head, "Don't cause more trouble."_

_Isabella hugs her two brothers close, "I love you guys. We will just be more careful."_

_They laugh and get up to clean themselves up. _

* * *

**present day**

Bella sighs as she finishes her story, "Nik and Kol were my very own body guards. They always protected me no matter what. The more I hate Klaus for what he did to my family, the more I miss my sweet big brother Nik."

Elena touches her shoulder, "I notice that you call him Klaus now. Why is that?"  
Bella shrugs, "He turned into someone different. Every time I think of calling him Nik I want to cry. I feel like my brother died and never came back."

Alaric hands her a plate of spaghetti, "It's hard to imagine Klaus being the way you described him. How can someone change that much?"  
Bella laughs, "Being a vampire heightens everything that you were. It brings your worst qualities out more than ever before." She looks at Elena, "Look at Stefan. When he first turned he was the ripper. He was that way because he had an addictive personality." She looks at Damon, "You were more easy going and worry free. Though when you were first turned your big brother side came out too."

Damon frowns at her, "How do you know about this?"

She shrugs, "Who do you think cleaned up your mess?" His eyes widen in shock, "I was following Katerina around. I had to make sure she wouldn't cause any trouble."

Jeremy laughs, "Why would you care?"  
Bella sighs deeply, "Because I was the one that turned her."


	3. Chapter 3: Kol's Demise and Resurrection

Damon choked as he looked over at Bella. He didn't trust her and didn't like the idea that she was invited into this house, but he couldn't help sympathizing with her. The story she had told had seemed so happy and carefree. Until Mikael was involved. But the way she had told it had drawn him in. He had been fascinated by her voice. Even now he couldn't stop himself from admiring her beauty. He shakes his head trying to clear his thoughts.

He finally caught his breath, "Why would you do that?"

Bella laughed as if that was the dumbest question she had ever heard, "To save her life. Klaus was going to kill her. We had been close when she was human. She had always been selfish, but she was a lot more delicate and cared more about those around her. She would tell me about how much she loved Klaus and wanted to spend her life with him, but she was starting to have feelings for Elijah as well. He had been sweet to her and Klaus often ignored her and didn't treat her right. She had been my best friend. So I saved her by turning her." She sighs sadly, "That was a mistake."

Elena frowns and nods, "Yeah she has done nothing, but caused problems."

Bella shakes her head, "That isn't why it was a mistake."

Jeremy leaned closer, intrigued, "Why was it?"

Bella raised her brow, "Do you really want another story? That would be two in one night."

Damon scoffs, "It can't be that complicated."

Bella grins at him and he feels a little dazed as she responds, "Everything that involves Klaus is complicated."

Alaric laughs, "That is an understatement."

Jeremy tilts his head to the side, "Maybe you can tell us tomorrow? I would love to hear the story."

Bella smiles, "Ok we will meet up tomorrow?" She looks around and watches as they each nod in agreement, "Good. I am tired. I think I would put myself to sleep. Not that it is boring in any way."

Elena tilts her head, "Where are you staying?"

Bella shrugs, "I don't know yet. I haven't had time to find a place since I got here. But I will find a hotel or something."

Elena shakes her head, "It's late. Why don't you stay here for the night?"

Bella opens her mouth to protest, but Damon interrupts, "That is a bad idea. We still don't know what her motive is."  
Bella laughs at his obvious distrust of her, "My motive? I'm not here to rob a bank or murder anyone. I am just here to get my brother, Kol, back. And stop Klaus from is psychotic ways. But I understand if it takes you awhile to see that." She laughs harder, "I am sweet as pie."

Elena and Jeremy join her in laughter. Jeremy touches her hand, "You can stay here. Don't listen to Damon. I never do." Damon glares at him, "You can stay in my room."

Bella puts her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, "I admit, you are real cute, but I think you should probably take me on a date first."

Jeremy blushes, "I-I meant you can have my room for the night and I will sleep on the couch or something."

Elena giggles at her brother's embarrassment, "She can sleep in my room with me. I have a big bed and I won't try to cuddle with you or anything."

Bella pretends to pout, "Well that's a shame." She laughs, "Are you sure? I don't have a problem with going to a hotel."

Elena grabs her hand and starts to pull her upstairs, "I insist. I never had a sleepover with a thousand year old girl before."

Damon frowns as he watches the two girls retreat upstairs, "I am staying here tonight." He pauses when hears laughter coming from upstairs, "Just to be safe."

Alaric nods and they all head up to bed.

* * *

Rebekah looks at the coffins that held her family. Klaus had them delivered to a warehouse just outside of town where they would stay until he finished remodeling their house. She looked down at Kol. He looked so much like Izzy. She knew that they were twins, but it still shocked her when she saw the resemblance. She looked around cautiously before she pulled the dagger out of his chest. She knew that Klaus would be really pissed, but she knew the connection between her baby sister and brother. She knew that Izzy didn't feel complete without her twin.

She whispers in Kol's ear, "Take care of our girl." She slipped a note in his hand telling him where he could find Iz.

She turned and walked away. She wanted to wake the others but she didn't want Klaus's wrath to be too big. She silently promised them one day.

* * *

Bella woke up the next morning feeling happier than she had felt in years. She didn't know why, but she wasn't going to argue with it. She sniffed the air and grinned at the scent of coffee wafting through the air. She glanced over at the other side of the bed and saw that Elena had already gotten up. She hurriedly takes a shower. She gets dressed and runs downstairs. She walks into the kitchen to see Damon and Elena making breakfast. She studies them as Damon smiles down at Elena. That was when she saw the love that radiated off him in waves.

She shakes her head and clears he throat. Elena smile at her, "Good morning! I hope you slept well."

Bella smirked, "I did. Where is Jer-"

She is cut off by footsteps on the stairs and the entrance of Alaric and Jeremy. Jeremy grins at her broadly, "Is it story time?"  
Bella runs her fingers through her hair, "Dang, kid, let me get some coffee in me first."

Jeremy looks a little sad when she calls him kid, but quickly recovers, "Fine. But drink quickly."

Damon smiles at Jeremy, amused by his obvious attraction to her, "Forgive him. It appears little Gilbert has a small crush. How cute."

Elena punches Damon in the arm, "Shut up!"  
Bella smiles, "Well, I am flattered. He is quite handsome."

Jeremy blushes some more and changes the subject, "Do you still want that coffee?"  
Bella nods and grabs a mug. She turns around after she pours herself a cup, "So the story of why it was a mistake to turn Katerina." They all stop what they are doing and sit down, "It started the morning before I turned her; Klaus had told me his plans of killing her…"

* * *

_**flashback**_

_"It is happening tonight, Isabella. Aren't you excited? I will finally be who I am supposed to be."_

_Isabella frowned at her brother, "But I thought you had fallen in love with her. Isn't love more important than any curse?"  
He touches her cheek and smiles gently, "You are so naïve sometimes. If you had something holding you back from being the person that you were supposed to be wouldn't you do anything to change it?"_

_Isabella shrugged, "I guess. I just want you to be happy, Nik."_

_He hugs her, "I know you do." He pulls back, "I never really loved her anyways. I just wanted to keep her around until the right time."_

_Isabella gasped, "You tricked her? Nik, you have to tell her. She feels so lost and just wants your love."_

_Nik glares at her, "You can be so stupid! I don't need to tell her anything. She is just the solution to my problem."_

_Isabella stands up angrily, "You can't do this! It is horrible what you have done! HORRIBLE! She is a person. You can't treat people this way!"_

_Nik speeds to her and pins her to the wall with his hand around her neck, "How dare you defy me? I am the older brother here. I know best!"_

_She struggles for air, "Nik! I can't breathe!"_

_Kol speeds in and throws him against the opposite wall. He pulls Isabella closer to him, "Keep your hands off her! What is wrong with you? She is your baby sister. Do you remember what that used to mean to you?"  
Isabella sobs into his shoulder as they leave their brother's room, "I just don't know how to get through to him anymore, Kol. He has changed so much."_

_Kol shushes her, "its ok, baby sister. Maybe after this curse is broken he will stop being obsessive and we can go back to being happy."_

_She frowns up at him, "But I don't want Katerina to die. She is my best friend. She feels like a part of this family."_

_Kol kisses her forehead, "Then you know what you have to do."_

_Isabella nods and runs for the garden where Katerina normally sat, "Kat! We have to hurry."_

_Katerina stands up and looks at her with worry in her eyes, "Is everything ok, Isa?"_

_Isabella shakes her head, "No. We have to find a place for you to hide. Nik plans to kill you as soon as the moon rises."_

_Katerina gasps, "But why? I thought he loved me."_

_Isabella grabs her face, "It was all a trick. I am so sorry. Please come with me."_

_Katerina nods, "Of course, Isa."_

_Later that night in an isolated cabin in the woods._

_"Kat you have to drink my blood."_

_Katerina shakes her head, "What? NO!"_

_Isabella cries, "It's the only way you will survive. He will find us. He always finds what he wants."_

_Katerina closes her eyes, "Okay. I am only doing this for you." She touches Isabella's cheek, "The only true friend I have ever had."_

_Isabella hugs her, "Thank you." She puts her wrist up to Katerina's mouth and she drank, "Trevor and Rose will look after you. Elijah and Kol are keeping Nik as far off our trail as they can."_

_Katerina nods, "I am ready."_

_Isabella smiles, "I love you, Kat." She snaps her neck and turns to Rose, "Make sure she drinks this when she wakes up."_

_Rose takes the vial, "I won't let anything happen to her. I promise."_

_Isabella runs out the door and listens for her brothers. She hears a twig snap behind her and jumps. She turns around fearing the worst. She sighs, "Becks. What are you doing here?"_

_Rebekah frowns at her, "Kol told me your plan! I came to stop you. You can't do this! He will kill you."_

_Isabella rolls her eyes, "He won't kill me."_

_They hear voices in the distance and Isabella takes off in that direction. Nik grabs her and throws her against the closest tree, "What the hell have you done?"_

_Kol and Elijah tackle Klaus. They hold him down as he tries to struggle, but their strength together was too much for him._

_Klaus growls, "Get off of me!"_

_Isabella runs over, "You are too late, Nik! Katerina is a vampire. She is no good to you or your curse."_

_Klaus screams angrily and pulls something out of his boot. He stabs it into Kol's heart and Isabella watches with horror when Kol falls to the ground and lines started making their way up his body. She falls to her knees._

_She looks up at him, "What have you done?"  
Klaus grins, "Same thing I did to Finn."_

_She tries to get to Kol, but Klaus throw Elijah in the air and grabs her, "This is what happens when you mess with me, sweet Isabella! I take away the one thing you love most."_

_He grabs Kol's body and takes off._

* * *

**present day**

"When I got back to the cabin I found Rose and Trevor on the ground with snapped necks and no sign of Katerina. She played me and the sad thing is I let her. By doing so I lost the one person who can make me whole. When Kol was daggered I felt a part of me disappear. Like it never existed. I was inconsolable for years. Elijah tried, but in the end he was just force feeding me blood."

Elena wipes a tear from her eye, "That is so horrible. This makes me hate Katherine and Klaus more, if possible."

Bella sighs, "That is what finally got me through. The hatred I felt for Klaus was so strong that I found a reason to get out of bed. I was going to make him pay and get Kol back."

Damon tilts his head, "Do you not care about the rest of your family?"  
Bella raises her brow at his disbelieving tone, "I do. Finn was always quiet, but as soon as we turned he was determined to find a way to kill all of us. We tried to get him to just accept what he was and there was a brief period where he did. That was when he met Sage. But something snapped in him and when he attacked Klaus one night, he had no choice. Becks had still been alive and running around with Klaus until the 20s. After I found out he had daggered her, it fueled my hatred. And I didn't know about Elijah being daggered until 3 days before I got here."

Alaric opens his mouth to say something when the doorbell rings. Elena sighs, "I'll get it."

She walks to the entry way and opens up the door, "Can I help you?"  
Bella hears a familiar voice say, "Katerina?" and jumps up. She walks to the front of the hallway and squeals excitedly. The guest looks past Elena and grins, "Isabella."

With that one word she runs out the door and jumps into his arms. He twirls her around and she giggles. She pulls back slightly, "He let you go?"

Kol shakes his head, "Rebekah did. She left this note telling me where I could find you."

Bella lets her tears of happiness fall down her cheeks, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Kol."

Elena gasps excitedly, "So this is him? I should have guessed. You two look almost identical."

Kol frowns, "Did she lose her memory or something?"

Bella laughs, "No, no. This is Elena. The third doppelganger."

Kol's smile fades, "She is still alive? So the curse is still intact?"

Bella shakes her head, "She found a way to come back to life."  
Kol frowns, "Is she a vampire?"  
Bella laughs, "No."

His face scrunches up in confusion, "I don't understand."

Bella rolls her eyes, "Well, let me find you different clothes and then maybe we can talk."

Kol grins and looks at Elena, "Are you going to let me in?"


	4. Chapter 4: We Have To Save Her

"Yeah, Kol, co-"

Damon speeds to the door and puts his hand over Elena's mouth. She lets out a muffled scream and turns to him, "What the hell are you doing?"  
He glares at the two original vampires outside, "One original is enough. We still don't know if we can trust them."

Bella rolls her eyes, "He can trust a girl like Katerina, but he can't trust us. How ridiculous is that?"

Kol shrugs, amused, "You trusted her enough to turn her into a vampire."

Bella wrinkles her nose, "Oh. Yeah." She smiles at Damon, "Carry on."

Elena shakes her head, "We can trust them. Bella slept next to me and I am still alive. So are Jeremy and Alaric." She touches Damon's shoulder, "Hey, you are too. How strange."

Bella laughs at the sarcasm dripping from Elena's words, "Listen, I know our big brother has done a lot to make you…hesitant to believe me, but he has done a lot more harm to us than he has to you. We would never help him. Right, Kol?"

Kol nods seriously, "I learned my lesson and he hurt my baby sister too many times. No one does that and gets away with it." He ended with a growl to prove how angry he was.

Bella grabs his hand, "Calm down, Kol." She turns back to Damon, "If you feel this strongly about it, then we will meet up later."

Kol frowns at her, "Little sister, it is dangerous for us to go gallivanting around town. Klaus will not like that I am out of that box."

Bella touches his cheek, "No worries, I will protect you. He is never going to touch you again."

Elena stepped forward, "Kol, you can come in."

Damon growls, "What the hell is wrong with you? I told you NO!"

Elena turned on him, "You shut up! I know what it is like to want to protect my family! Protect my little brother! And you can deny it all you want, but you would do anything to protect yours too! We are not going to leave them alone! We work together!"

Kol smiles, impressed, "I like this doppelganger a lot more than the first two. She doesn't act like she is all innocent."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Why couldn't you tell me that before? We could have avoided all this drama."

Kol touches her cheek, "Would you have let Klaus kill Katerina if I had?"

Bella looks down, "No. It wasn't fair. But I shouldn't have turned her."

Kol tilts his head sympathetically, "You did the right thing at the time."

Bella looked into his eyes, "How can you say that? How could it be right? It was my fault that he took your life away. It was all my fault." She starts to sob into her hands.

Kol hugged her to him, "No. None of this is your fault." He takes her face in his hands, "Look at me."

He smiles gently when she finally did, "You have always been the one to follow your heart and do what was right. You are the true protector. I only worried for you because you would jump in front of someone to save them. You are better than all of us. When you were turned the kindness you had only became stronger. You have no bad qualities."

Bella threw her arms around his neck and enjoyed the feel of being with her brother again. She pulls back, "You are a liar, but thank you. I have missed you so much."

Elena grinned through her tears, "Don't worry, Bella. We will make it so you can be happy again. Hopefully with the rest of your family. Now, are you going to come in or what?"

Damon seethed but didn't protest anymore. What Elena had said was true. He knew what it was like to want to protect his little brother. And the way Kol had treated his sister had softened him…on the inside. He wouldn't let anyone know on the outside. He had people to protect too.

Jeremy looks up when they finally come back in and smiles, "Wow. You two really are twins."

Kol laughs, "Thanks for the update, mate."

Alaric looks at Bella curiously, "So why does everyone else in your family have accents and you don't?"  
Bella bites her lip, "I spent a lot more time here than the rest of them. I learned to fit in with Americans you have to talk like them. And a lot of times I would compel someone to be my parent so that I didn't look too suspicious. I hated doing it and whenever I left I was sad to see them forget me."

Alaric takes a bite of his eggs, "At least here you don't have to worry about any of that. We are used to the strange."

Bella looks at Kol's attire, "You need to change. That is no longer the style here." She looks at Jeremy, "You two are about the same size. Would it be ok if he borrowed an outfit?"

Jeremy jumps out of his seat, "Of course." He turns to Kol, "Come with me."

Damon opens his mouth to protest but shuts his mouth when he sees Elena glaring at me. He sighs, "So now that you have your brother back are you going to leave town."

Bella smirks, "You would like that, wouldn't you?" She leans in closer, "I told you why I was here. I want revenge. I am determined to put my brother in a casket."

Elena tilts her head, "You want to kill him?"  
Bella shakes her head and widens her eyes, "No. I would never kill him. But I want to find a way to dagger him the way he has daggered my family. Unfortunately the daggers don't work on him."

Damon mumbles, "Killing him would be easier."

Bella turns on him, "Whether you like it or not he is my brother. I can't kill my brother just like you couldn't kill yours when he was the ripper. Forgive me for having a little bit of love for someone who used to be a great brother."

Kol touches her shoulder, calming her down, "Now, sister. You know that side of him doesn't exist anymore."

She frowns at him, "It does Kol. I have seen it." She walks outside and breathes in the fresh air. She sits on the top step trying to regain her composure.

Damon sits next to her, "I'm sorry. For what I said. I do get it. I would never be able to kill my brother either."

Bella smiles briefly, "I know I seem pathetic when I say that there is still a small bit of good in him. Maybe I am. But I have to have that little hope left. Otherwise I couldn't go on."

Damon touches her hand, "You aren't pathetic. Even if the bad qualities are more dominant now, doesn't mean the good ones went away. They are just hidden."

She looks down at his hand on top of hers then looks in his eyes, "I think the two of you would have been friends if you knew him before. As a human, I mean."

He smiles, "I wish I had met him then. I wish I could meet all of you then. Especially, you." He looks down at the sidewalk.

She suppresses a giggle, "You wouldn't have been bored. We were a bit crazy."

He laughs and looks back at her. They stare into each other's eyes for a second. He leans in closer about to kiss her when the door is opened and they both jump apart.

Kol stares suspiciously at Damon, "You promised to tell me what was going on." He looks between the two, "Did something happen between you two?"  
Bella stands up too quickly and shakes her head, "No!" She realizes that she might have said that too loud so she takes a deep breath, "We were just talking about brothers. Nothing happened, right?"  
Damon smirks at her obvious discomfort, "Right."

* * *

Klaus walks into the living room and frowns at Stefan, "Why are you just lying around?"

Stefan raises an unconcerned brow, "Nothing better to do."

Klaus rolls his eyes, "Go make sure no harm comes to Elena. I am going to check on my other siblings."

Rebekah looks up from her perch on the sofa, "What? Why? I mean they are in coffins. Not like they can go anywhere."

Klaus stares at her suspiciously, "Are you hiding something from me, sister?"  
Rebekah laughs nervously, "Of course not. I would never hide anything from you. I just think you would be wasting your time."

Klaus shakes his head, "I have to make sure Bella can't find them."

He speeds out and Rebekah closes her eyes. She didn't need to panic. He would never guess that it was her.

* * *

Bella and Kol stood looking over Elijah. They had decided to free him as well. She let out a small cry when she saw her oldest brother looking like death.

Kol smiles at her, "Don't worry he will be awake soon." He walks over to Finn, "Should we wake him? Maybe he won't try to kill us anymore."

Bella shrugs, "We could risk it. I hate seeing him like this too. Maybe the years of sleep helped him get some perspective."

Kol nods and pulls the dagger out, "Let's hope so."

Bella walks back over to Elijah, "How long does this normally take?"

Kol purses his lips in thought, "I don't know. I think it depends on how long they have been daggered."

Before Bella could respond, Elijah moans. Bella and Kol grin at each other as he slowly sits up. Bella waves, "Hi."

Elijah laughs at the simple greeting, "Is that all you have to say to me?"

She shakes her head and hugs him as he gets out of the coffin. Kol joins them and they all laugh, happy to be together again.

Elijah pulls back, "I did something stupid."

Bella grabs his hand, "We know. It's ok. All that matters is us being together again." She looks at his hair, "And you getting a haircut." She looks at Kol's messy hair, "You too."

Kol and Elijah both frown as she drags them both back to her car. Elijah looks back, "What about Finn and Rebekah?"  
Bella smiles, "Klaus undaggered Rebekah and Finn should wake up soon. But we feel safer if we aren't here. Just in case he still wants to kill us."

Kol nods and they hop in the car.

* * *

Klaus walks into the warehouse to see Finn looking around, confused. His eyes widen in shock. Who had done this? Who had freed his brother? He looks at the other coffins and notices them empty. He silently curses Rebekah. It had to be her. Finn turns towards him.

Klaus stops in his tracks, "Finn?"

Finn steps forward, "Nik? Where am I?"

Klaus lifts his arms, "Mystic Falls."

Finn frowns, "Why are we here?"  
Klaus shrugs, "A lot of reasons, but I can explain later." He feels around the coffin next to him, trying to find a dagger. "Let me just take you home."

Finn nods, "Ok."

Klaus looks in each coffin before he leaves and realizes that all the daggers were gone. Rebekah was going to have some explaining to do.

* * *

Bella ignores her brothers' complaints about getting their haircut. She knew they would thank her in the end. She looked through the magazine she was holding laughing at the section that was talking about celebrities being just like us. She couldn't believe people were fascinated by that. They were people too. Just because they were famous didn't mean they turned into a different species.

She looked up as Kol was walked down to her. She grins at his hair, "You look so handsome now. And like you belong to this decade."

Kol reluctantly nods, knowing she was right, "I guess this works."  
Bella slaps his arm, "You know you love it."

He grins at her playfully, "I will never admit that."

Bella rolls her eyes as Elijah walks down, "So? Do you like your hair?"  
He smiles, "I have to admit you were right."

She sticks her tongue out at Kol and he laughs, "Real mature, Bells"

She walks out the door and down the sidewalk to her car when someone grabs her and drags her into the alley. She tries to struggle but is thrown against the wall. She falls to the ground only to be lifted by her neck with her back on the wall.

Klaus growls at her, "You little bitch! All you do is cause problems for me! How dare you free them?"

Bella struggles to get his hand off her neck, "They are my family, too! You can't take them away from me again!"  
Kol and Elijah round the corner and throw Klaus across the alley. They help Bella up and are about to speed out when Klaus throws both of them to the ground. He grabs the back of Bella's head and pulls her close, "It was you who I should have locked away." He stabs her in the chest with the only dagger he had and took off with her in his arms.

Kol shouts, "NO! BELLA!"  
Elijah stops him before he can take off after her, "We need a plan first, little brother."

* * *

Damon sits on his couch drinking bourbon and listening to the chatter around him. He didn't know why they all had to be here. It was his house. He should be allowed to kick them all out. He was about to do that when there was a knock on his door. More like a banging. He sighs and speeds to the door.

He throws it open and yells, "Would you stop that?"

Kol looks around frantically, "You have to… He took…I don't know what to do!"  
Damon frowns, "Calm down and tell me what happened."

Elijah steps into view, "Maybe I can help. He won't make any sense for a while."

Damon growls, "Why should I listen to you?"  
Kol grabs him by the neck and throws him across the room. Caroline and Tyler stand up ready to attack. Bonnie watches with wide eyes as Kol lifts him by neck. Elena gasps with confusion and Jeremy looks over at Elijah who was calmly watching everything.

Kol yells, "HE DAGGERED MY SISTER! YOU WILL LISTEN TO ELIJAH BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE THAT WILL GET HER BACK!"

Damon nods, "Ok, ok. You can put me down now."

Kol drops him to the ground and puts his head in his hands. Unable to control his emotions. He felt like some part of him had been taking away from him. He never knew a sorrow such as this. He needed to get Bella back. He didn't care who he had to kill to get her.

Damon stands up and looks at Elijah, "Tell me what happened."

Elijah puts his arm around Kol's shoulder and faces the room, "Klaus attacked us when we were leaving the hair salon. He grabbed Bella and daggered her."

Elena lets out a breath and sits down, "We have to save her."

Damon nods, "Tell us the plan."


	5. Chapter 5: I Can't Do This

**The Cullens will be back in the story for a brief period of time. And so will Jacob. I think they always add a little extra drama. I don't know when, but it will be soon. :)))**

**Read, review and enjoy**

**XOXO**

* * *

Rebekah looks down at Izzy and cries. This isn't what she had wanted when she freed Kol. She thought Izzy would give up and they would leave. She had forgotten how much Izzy wanted her family to be whole again. She wouldn't stop until she had the family she once had. Minus Klaus. Klaus was too far gone in her opinion. She reached for the dagger.

Klaus tackled her to the floor, "Don't even think about it, Rebekah. Isabella is to stay asleep until I say so. You will not mess this up again!"

Rebekah kicked him in the stomach, "She is my baby sister! We made a promise a long time ago Klaus. Don't you remember that? We promised we would look out for each other, but more importantly we would look out for her. She is the youngest and she has always gotten herself into trouble. It doesn't help that you are now the trouble."

Klaus hesitate for a moment and looks back at his baby sister. She had always been the best of them and had loved them at their worst. She had loved him until he had taken Kol away. Maybe he could convince her to love him again.

Rebekah stands up seeing his internal struggle, "She loves you, Nik. Even when she hates you she loves you. She just wants her big brother back. The one that was a body guard. The one that cared."

Klaus wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. He had tried to be the person he used to be before the transition, but he lost his patience so easily and wanted his way. He couldn't always fight who he was. He made his decision.

He looks up, "I will take the dagger out." Rebekah smiles, "But we have to tie her up. With vervain laced rope."

Rebekah opens her mouth to argue, but decides against it. This was a win when it came to Klaus.

* * *

Kol looked up. He had felt something in him change. Suddenly the sorrow that he had been feeling disappeared. He felt the part of him that had slipped away when Bella was daggered come back. He didn't understand how. But he knew.

He suddenly smiled, "She is awake."

They all looked over at him. He was no longer slumped over and grief stricken. It was like the Kol they had met was back. Elijah sits down next him, "How do you know?"

He shrugs unable to understand it himself, "I can feel it." He pauses for a second, "Remember how I always knew she was in trouble or hurt? It is like that. I know she is awake. And I know that she is still in danger."

Elena frowns, "How is that possible?"

Elijah sighs, "They have a connection. We figured it was because they were twins. When we turned into vampires it became stronger. If she was upset, he would be too. If he was happy, she would be too. When Kol was daggered it was like she wasn't whole anymore. There was something missing. And when she finally got out of the depression she was in, she wasn't exactly the same person. Bella had always been kind and caring. Unable to hate anyone. Or so it seemed. Suddenly she had this deep hatred in her. None of us had seen her angry before then. Not really."

Damon considered this, "So if that is true then who took the dagger out? Rebekah?"

Kol shakes his head, "I don't think so. I can feel her in pain. It had to be Klaus. But why?"

Elijah stands up, "Maybe we should go and check out the situation."

Before anyone could respond, Damon's phone rings. He looks at the screen, "Stefan?"  
Rebekah laughs, "No, this is Rebekah. I kind of stole his phone to make this call. Are you with Kol?"  
He hands the phone to Kol, "It's for you."

Kol frowns at the strange device not knowing what to do with it. Elijah takes the phone and puts it on speaker, "Rebekah? This is Elijah and Kol. We are on speaker."

Rebekah laughs, "Great. Klaus took the dagger out. I reminded him of our promise to always protect her. He does still care. He is still wary of her though so he tied her up." She hesitates, "With vervain laced ropes."

Kol rolls his eyes, "Figures. He is still looking out for himself."

Rebekah groans, "Kol! We can't change everything, but this is a start. Maybe we can actually be a family again. Even Finn said he won't try to kill us anymore. Can't you see? This is what she wanted. She wanted everything to go back to before. It may not be perfect, but it's a step."

They hear a loud scream over the phone. Kol winces, "What the hell was that?"

Rebekah doesn't answer. They hear her running at high speed, "Nik! What the hell are you doing?"  
Klaus turns to her, "She doesn't listen! I tried to tell her that I wanted our family back. I tried to tell her that she had to behave."

They hear Bella, "You bastard! If you wanted that I wouldn't be tied to this damn chair! You say you want us to be back to normal but only if we do as you say! That isn't family!"

Rebekah sobs, "Bella can't you see he is trying!"

Bella glares at her, "If he was trying, I wouldn't have this damn stake in my stomach! Or this vervain on my hands and legs! Becks open your eyes! He will never change! He is no longer the brother that we used to love!" She breaks down in sobs.

Klaus kneels in front of her, "I tried, sweet Isabella. I really did. I want to be that brother that you loved, but I can't. I can't. Why won't you accept me for what I am now? I still want you safe. I can keep you safe."

Bella cries harder, "Who will keep me safe from you? You keep hurting me, Nik! It feels like you have ripped my heart out over and over again. I can't do this. I can't live like this. I am in constant fear of you. Even when I am determined to stop you, I fear you. This isn't how it is supposed to be."

Klaus covers his face, "I know!" He looks up at her with tears in his eyes, "Don't you think I know that? I don't want you to fear me. I don't want it to be like when Mikael was chasing us. Or raising us for that matter. I don't want that, Isabella."

She closes her eyes, "Why can't you just be the brother I remember? We used to be so happy, Nik. Even with Mikael there. As long as we had each other we were ok. I don't have that anymore. It all went away when you killed **_him _**right in front of me. That's when I knew nothing would be the same. That's when the seed of hate started to grow."

Klaus breathes heavily, "I know."

Bella sighs, "Let me go Klaus. Just let me go. I can't be a part of your family anymore."

Klaus slowly stands up, "I won't let you go, Isabella. I won't dagger you again, but you are stuck here. If you can't see reason then you will suffer."

Rebekah shakes her head, "Nik, no. Please, this won't help her love you again."

Klaus glares at her, "She will never love me. It doesn't matter what I do."

Bella nods, "It only matters what you did."

He takes out the stake only to shove it back in closer to her heart. She screams out in pain and Rebekah gasps unable to let the terror escape her lips. Klaus walks upstairs and Rebekah falls to the ground. Kol lets a tear fall down his face as rage enters his body. Klaus was going to pay.

Bella looks up, "Becks…please…don't cry. I-I'm so sorry. I…just…cant."

She touches Bella's face, "I know, Iz. I know. I understand. Let me get you out of here."

Bella shakes her head, "No…he will…hurt you."

Rebekah pulls the stake out making her gasp with pain, "I don't care. I am done too. I can't stand by him anymore. I was stupid to think he had changed."

She winces as she pulls the ropes off her, "We are in this together, Izzy. From now on."

* * *

Elijah hangs up the phone as the room falls silent. Kol and Elijah were still emotional from the altercation between Bella and Klaus. He had revealed more than usual and they had almost believed him, until they heard Bella scream. Until he had ruined it all again.

"You all are way too emotional to see the truth."

They all turn and look over at who had spoken. Elena jumps up, "Stefan!"

He grins wickedly at her, "Look at you. All excited to see your lost love. Pathetic if you ask me." He laugh at her bewildered expression, "Anyways, Klaus is always going to be the same. He is who he is. You should accept that."

Damon groans, "I forgot what an asshole you were when you don't have any emotions. Why are you here?"

He smirks, "To make sure the doppelganger is safe. For Klaus."

Before anyone can respond Rebekah runs in with a weak Bella. Koll runs over to her and picks her up. Everyone moves so they can lay her down on the sofa. He looks at her wounds, "Why aren't they healing?"  
Rebekah takes out the stake, "He soaked it with werewolf venom. It's going to take a while before she can heal."

Elena frowns, "Doesn't werewolf venom kill vampires? Shouldn't we be more worried?"  
Elijah shakes his head, "No Originals. It just weakens us a little. Makes it harder for us to heal. She should be fine in an hour or two."

Bella laughs, "Yeah no biggie. It is kind of like being human again. What a wonderful feeling."

Elena rolls her eyes, "It takes longer for humans to heal than two hours." She looks at Jeremy, "We have to get home. We have school in the morning."

Jeremy nods and touches Bella's hand, "We will see you later, ok?"

Bella nods. Stefan loses interest after Elena leaves and goes to his bedroom. Everyone else eventually leaves. Elijah, Kol and Rebekah walk outside to figure out what they wanted to do leaving Bella and Damon alone.

She smiles at him, "So, blue eyes, what do you want to do?"  
He laughs at the nickname, "I have nothing planned."

She grins, "Or really?" She looks at him flirtatiously, "Do you want something to do?"

He rolls his eyes at her and laughs, "You are a piece of work, Isabella Mikaelson. I just can't figure you out."

She pretends to pout, "Is that a no?"  
He shakes his head, "That's a not now."

She smiles, "I will hold you to that." She grabs his hand when he is about to leave, "Can you stay here? It is probably the werewolf venom, but I would feel a lot safer if someone was here."

He nods and sits next to her on the edge of the couch still holding her hand. She smiles and closes her eyes. He watches as her breathing slows down. He studies her face. She was so beautiful and she looked more at peace than she had when she was awake. He moves a strand of hair behind her ear and lets his hand linger on her cheek.

She smiles, "Who knew you could be so sweet?" She laughs as he jumps, "I kind of like it."

He laughs nervously, "Who were you talking about earlier?"

She opens her eyes, confused, "What do you mean?"  
He hesitates, but decides to feed his curiosity, "When you said Klaus killed him. Who did you mean?"

Her amusement fades and any look of peace left her face as soon as he asked. He regretted saying anything. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

She shakes her head, "No, it's ok. I just didn't realize that you had heard that." She swallows the lump in her throat, "Um, before we were turned I was in love with a werewolf…"

* * *

_**flashback**_

_Isabella snuck out of the house a week before the full moon to go see Daniel. She couldn't stay away from him for another second. During the day they never got a moment alone together. But during the nights before his transformation they could just be together. He waited for her on the edge of the forest. She smiles wide and leaps into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He kisses her deeply and passionately._

_She pulls back still in his arms, "I love you so much, Daniel."_

_He smiles back at her lovingly, "I love you too, my love."_

_He puts her down and run deeper into the forest to their normal spot. It was a small clearing with tall trees surrounding them and a clear view of the star filled sky. He layed down the blanket that he always brought. He pulled her down and she lays next to him with her head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest. She wished they could stay like this forever._

_He looks over at her, "Can I ask you a question?"  
She stares up at him and nods, "Of course." _

He sighs, "I can't see myself being with anyone else. All I see is you. Isabella Mikaelson, will you marry me?"

She pushes herself and looks down in his eyes with tears falling down her cheeks, "Yes! Of course I will! You are all I see, too!"

He smiles brightly, "We will tell your family after the full moon."

She frowns, "Why wait?"  
He shrugs, "I just want this to be for us right now. Something we can have. For a little while."

She grins again and kisses him. He turns her over so she was under him.

* * *

_A week later the full moon came and Henrik had been killed by one of the werewolves. Isabella cried over her baby brother. He had been so young and so free spirited. Daniel had tried to comfort her, but Mikael wouldn't allow him near her. Isabella cried harder when she tried to run to him and Mikael and pushed her away. Kol had run over then and hugged his sister. Nik had yelled. That night her mother and father kill their children turning them into something that they never wanted to be._

_Bella ran out the door and to Daniel, "My parents have done something horrible. I don't understand it."_

_Daniel rubs her back trying to calm her sobs, "Tell me."_

_She looks up at him, "They fed us supper and gave us wine. It had tasted strange. After we finished my father ran a sword through each of our hearts, but we didn't stay dead. They made us drink more wine, but this time it tasted good. I don't know what has happened."_

_Daniel looks at her like she is crazy, "That is impossible. No one can come back from the dead."_

_She sobs, "Daniel, please, I am telling the truth. Won't you believe me?"  
Daniel looks into her eyes and sees the truth that he was telling, "I believe you. You have to ask them what this means."_

_She nods, "In the morning. They are asleep." _

* * *

_Two days later, she tells Daniel what she has found out, "Vampire. That is what they said. We are burned by the sun. We are weak to vervain. We feed on blood. We are fast and have heightened sense. We are also stronger. I am so scared."_

_He shushes her and hugs her close, "We will survive this together, my love. Everything will be better."_

_She smiles, "I was so afraid you wouldn't want to be around me."_

_He scoffs, "Isabella, I love you. I would never abandon you." He kisses her and she sighs._

_She freezes when she feels his heart stop and he starts to fall, "Daniel?" She looks up and stares with horror. There stands Nik with a heart in his hand. She falls with Daniel, "NO!" She screams over and over again unable to control herself._

* * *

**present day**

"I had been so scared. And Klaus just took his heart." She laughs bitterly, "He had stood there and looked with horror at what was in his hand. When I finally was able to breathe again I asked him why. He said 'I was so angry. I didn't like him touching you.' Like that would make me feel better. I had stupidly forgiven him, thinking that it was a side effect of being turned. But it got worse and my fear of him continued to grow. It didn't help that we were running from Mikael too."

Damon wipes the tear from her face, "You were young and you needed him still. You weren't stupid, you were scared."

She smiles, "Thank you. I thought telling that story would depress me, but it made me feel a little better."

Damon looked down at her stomach and touched the healed skin, "That probably has more to do with healing than with me."

She reaches up and touches his cheek, "It has to do with you, too."

He leans down closer. He knows he should stop himself, but he didn't want to. There was just something so mesmerizing about her. She pushes herself up and their lips finally meet. He puts his hand on the back of her neck and pulls her up to him. She turns her head slightly and he deepens the kiss. She puts her hand on his back and touches the bare skin under his shirt. He shudders and turns so that he could press closer to her.

"What the hell is this?"  
They break apart at the sound of Kol's voice. Bella smiles nervously as she watches her 3 older siblings walk through the door. Rebekah giggles with delight and looks at Bella with a look that said 'tell me everything.' Bella smiles and nods. Elijah just watches with dry amusement.

Kol clears his throat, "Isabella Marie Mikaelson! Explain yourself."

Bella rolls her eyes at him, "Hmm let me think. Oh yeah I was making out with a hot guy because I can!"

Damon smirks, "I am going to leave you to have this little family…whatever."

Bella shakes her head, "Coward."

He laughs as he walks out of the room. This was going to be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6: Kol and Elena

Elena walks into school with Caroline. After yesterday her friends wouldn't leave her alone. It's not like she was the one who was attacked. No, she just had to deal with an emotionless Stefan following her around. They were worried that she was going to break down any second. But she wasn't. She could handle it.

Caroline smiles brightly at her, "I'm going to my locker. See you in class."  
Elena nods and continues walking. She had to admit starting the day with Caroline wasn't so bad. She was always so perky. It was kind of hard not to smile around her. She runs into something that felt like a solid wall and looks up. Stefan.

He raises a brow, "It looks like you love being around the boys bathroom. Isn't this how we met last time? How romantic."

She rolls her eyes at his sarcastic tone, "Get out of my way, Stefan."

But when she goes to walk around him, he sidesteps in front of her, "That wouldn't be much fun would it?"  
She opens her mouth to talk, but is interrupted by someone behind her, "I suggest you do as she says, mate."

Stefan looks up and sneers, "Or what?"

Kol smiles widely, "Or we really are going to have some fun. I can tell you how this ends." He tilts his head to the side, "Do you need a hint? Your heart will be on the outside."

Stefan growls and walks away. Elena turns to Kol and smiles thankfully, "Thank you. I guess I am lucky to have an Original on my side."

Kol grins, "Nah, you are just lucky to have me."

Elena laughs, "You are so sure of yourself." She looks over to him curiously, "So why are you here?"  
He shrugs, "Bella convinced me that I should go to school so I can catch up on what I missed. I personally think she was too lazy to teach me herself."

They stop at her locker and Elena gets out her history book, "I bet she would be mad if she heard you saying that. There is a lot that has happened since you last saw the world."  
Kol looks around, "I can see that. Crazy, the difference 500 years can make is amazing."

She frowns and closes her locker, "You were in that coffin for 500 years?"  
He looks down, "Yeah. I could only imagine how Bella was feeling." He looks into her eyes, "Her being daggered yesterday was hard enough. I don't think I could survive if she…"

She grabs his hand as he trails off, "Don't worry, Kol. None of us are going to let anything happen to her."

He smiles and squeezes her hand, "Thanks. So can you help me to my first class? History with Alaric Saltzman."

She grins widely, "That just happens to be my first class too."

They walk down the hall, neither one realizing that they were still holding hands. They step into the classroom and look around. Caroline, Tyler, and Bonnie had already arrived. Stefan was just sitting down, which made Elena frown. She looks behind her as Rebekah and Bella walk in.

Bella looks down at their hands and smirks, "This is new."

Kol quickly lets go and stumbles, "We...she…What are you doing here?"

Bella holds up her hands, "Whoa. Don't need to be so hostile. I get bored if I have nothing to do so I thought I would go to school like a good teenager."

Rebekah smiles, "I just like going to school and being normal."

Elena laughs, "It gets annoying after a while."

Alaric walks in, "Everyone sit down please."

* * *

Kol couldn't stop looking at Elena. He had met the other two doppelgangers and felt no attraction. But something was different about Elena. Tatia and Katerina had been more selfish and more something. But this girl was caring and something about her was alluring. He glanced over at Bella who was trying to hide her amusement.

The bell for class rang and Alaric yelled through the noise of the students, "Remember to read chapters 6 and 7 and do the assessment at the end of each chapter."

The classroom groans as they walk out. Bella runs up next to Kol and pulls him aside. They wait until everyone has disappeared and even then Bella just stares at him.

He groans, "What do you want, Isabella?"

She grins, "You like Elena."

He shakes his head, "No."

She rolls her eyes, "It wasn't a question. Why can't you just admit it?"  
He sighs, "Because then I would just be like Klaus and Elijah. Falling for a doppelganger…"

She touches his cheek, "Sweetie, she is different. Elena will do anything to protect others. I know that I trusted Katerina and my say probably doesn't mean much, but I learned to tell the difference. She is the definition of good."

Rebekah walks up to them, "Plus she is a lot like Izzy. She has all the traits in her that you admire about Iz." She laughs at Kol's expression, "It's not a bad thing, little brother. And you can do a lot worse than Elena. I say go for it."

Bella grins, "Big sister knows best."

Kol shakes his head, amused by them, "Maybe. I still feel wary of her."

Bella frowns, "You can't always be the protector Kol. Sometimes you have to do something that makes you happy."

Kol raises his brow, "Maybe being the protector does make me happy."

Bella sighs, "It also makes you alone."

* * *

Kol considers what his sisters had to say. He didn't think that he was lonely, but then again he had been in a box for over 500 years. It was hard to be lonely when you spent half your life asleep. The bell for lunch rang and he waited for his sisters. They had insisted that they eat lunch together.

Stefan walks over to him, "So, I hear you have the hots for my ex. Good luck with that."

Kol frowns, "What the hell are you talking about, Salvatore?" Stefan leans against the wall, "Elena. She will never get over me. You should just quit while you're ahead."

Kol growls, "You better step back! I won't hesitate in killing you."

Stefan laughs, "She will never forgive you then."

Kol falters. He was right about that. Before he could react, Bella had Stefan pinned against the wall with her arm on his throat, "I suggest you walk away. I would hate for you to have three Originals out to kill you."

Stefan shrugs, "I doubt you would kill me."

She smiles, "Try me."

He pushes her arm off and walks away. Bella shakes her head, "He needs his emotion back. He is making it hard for me to keep him alive."

Kol grins, "I never thought I would here you say that. Normally you have more sympathy."

Bella looks over at him, "A lot has changed."

He frowns at that. Klaus had really done a number on her. Rebekah walks up and they head to the cafeteria. Bella smiles when she sees Elena wave them over and drags her siblings over. She makes it so Kol has to sit next to Elena. She sits next to Jeremy who tried to hide his excitement. Rebekah sits next Matt and smiles.

Elena takes a bite of her apple, "So what took you guys so long?"  
Kol frowns, "We had a run in with your ex."

Elena pales, "I am so sorry. I have never seen this side of him before."

Bella smiles, "If you ask me, it is very unattractive. The way Kol defended you was very sweet."

Kol looks at her confused, "I di-"

Bella cuts him off by kicking him under the table, "He was very knight in shining armor."

Elena smiles shyly, "Really?" He just nods, not knowing what to say. "Thank you. That was sweet." She kisses his cheek.

Rebekah and Bella smile at each other. Their brother was in trouble now.

* * *

Kol runs up to Elena after school, "Hey. How are you getting home?"

She shrugs, "I was just going to walk. It is a nice day for it."

He smiles, "Do you mind if I join you?" He hurries to explain, "You know with Klaus and Stefan out there. I would hate for something to happen to you. Who better than an Original to protect you?"  
She smiles, "I would love for you join me."

He grins and they start walking down the street in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Elena turns to him, "So do you like being here? I mean in this century. It has to be different than what you are used to."

He nods, "It is definitely strange, but it is a lot more…convenient. With phones and cars. I just need to learn how to use them."

She laughs, "Yeah." She looks up with an idea, "I could teach you. I'm pretty good with both of those. If you want."

He grins, "That would be great. Bella has tried to teach me about the phones but she isn't a very patient teacher."

Elena lifts her head high, "Well, I am an excellent teacher."

He laughs, "Cocky, aren't we?"  
She shakes her head, "Nah, not really. I was joking."

He touches her shoulder, "I was too."

She laughs, "So… anything else different that you aren't used to?"  
He sobers and looks down, "Bella."

She pauses, "What do you mean?"  
He shrugs, "She is still great and amazing…She just isn't the girl I grew up with. It's not her fault."

Elena pulls him over to a bench in the shade and they sit down, "Whose fault is it?"

Kol sighs, "A little bit our parents and a lot of Klaus's. When were younger she had a light in her that no one could put out. Not even Mikael when he was yelling at her for going into the forest. She just had hope and love. That was what made her special. When I looked at her she gave me hope. It was the most radiant thing. Then we were turned."

Elena frowns, "Did she lose it?"

He shakes his head, "No, not completely. There was just…fear added to it. She never had been afraid of anything. That's why we worried for her so much." He laughs, "But the change made her more hesitant. She was skittish of our parents. And then Klaus killed Daniel."

She looks at him with confusion, "Who is that?"  
He puts his hand through his hair, "That is the man Bella was going to marry." Elena gasps, "He was a werewolf. Klaus just went up to him and yanked his heart out while Bella was kissing him. It was like someone shut off a part of her light. It was still there but dimmer. And the more times she watched Klaus kill someone she had gotten closed to or attacked her for standing up for them the dimmer the light got. When Klaus told her he was going to kill Katerina, someone she had considered part of the family, she nearly lost it all. The only thing keeping it on was me. I hate that Katerina abandoned her. I believe she did care about Bella, but when she was turned her desire to flee was heightened. When she watched Klaus dagger me, at least the way Elijah explains it, the light completely left. There was no more hope in her."

Elena wipes at the tears, "That is so sad. Bella is so great. She saved me when she barely met me. There is still something there, Kol. If there wasn't, I don't think she would care as much as she does."

He smiles sadly, "I hope you are right. You would have loved her when she was human. You two are a lot alike."

She smiles at that, "I hope so. Was she close to Tatia?"  
Kol shakes his head, "Tatia was a…bitch. There really is no other way to describe her. Bella instantly disliked her, which was unusual for her. That's how I know there was some good in Katerina."

Elena laughs, "Not that I have seen, but then again she doesn't like me very much."

Kol bumps her shoulder, "I don't know how that is possible."

Elena's phone rings, "Hey, Bella what's up?" She frowns when she hears Bella's frantic voice, "He is right here. What's wrong?"

Kol froze when he heard the next word that came out of his sister's mouth. He looks at Elena who has the same horrified expression. She hangs up the phone and looks at him, "We have to get over there. My car…"

He grabs her hand, "No time. Do you trust me?" She nods, "Climb on my back."


	7. Chapter 7: Mikael

Bella looks at the man standing in the Salvatore living room. She couldn't believe he was back. This was impossible. She had been told that he had been taken care of. She no longer had to fear him or run. She sat their frozen, unable to breathe.

She whispers his name, "Mikael."

He smiles warmly at her, "Isabella, my youngest daughter."

She looks over at Damon with a chilling fear he had never seen before, "What is he doing here? He was..."

Damon walks over to her and grabs her hand, "He is here to help us."

She yanks her hand away, "He will never help us! He will kill us all! He hates our species. He hates his children. The monsters he turned us into!"

Mikael sighs heavily, "I could never hate my children, but I could never accept them for what they had become. We didn't know it would cause you to crave human blood."

Bella turns to Damon, "If he kills any of us our whole line dies along with us. Every vampire we turned and every vampire they turned. That means if I die you and Stefan die too. He will kill me." She looks at her father, "He can't help himself."

Mikael frowns, "Isabella, my dear sweet child, I won't kill you."

Bella laughs bitterly, "Yeah you proved that when you were hunting us down for centuries."

Mikael nods, "I made a mistake, but now I am only after one person."

She looks up, shocked, "Klaus. I can't let you do that." Damon snaps his head towards her, "We can't kill him. We can find a way to put him to sleep." She looks at Damon, "I can't kill my brother. Please."

Damon looks down and nods, "I know." He looks up at her, "I get it. No matter what he does he is still family. I didn't wake Mikael."

Her eyes widen, "Then who did?"  
Katherine steps out of the kitchen, "I did."

Bella puts her head in her hands just when Kol and Elena walk through the door. Kol runs over to Bella and hugs her and glares at Katherine and Mikael. Elena puts her hand on Bella's back to comfort her. Damon sneers at Katherine, "What exactly was your plan? To kill us all?"  
She shakes her head, "I didn't know about that part. I just wanted to stop running. Klaus has been a menace to me since I was turned." She looks at Bella, "Hello, Isa."

Bella looks up, "Hello, Kat. Haven't caused enough problems, I see."

She closes her eyes, "I never meant to hurt you when I ran. I was just scared."

Bella tilts her head, "What about when I was broken? I lost my brother because of you!"

Katherine winces, "I know, Isa. I was there. You were so out of it. When Elijah wasn't taking care of you, I was."

Elijah walks in, "It's true. She was there. Even when she was afraid Klaus would find her, she was there."

Bella looks at him then back at Katherine, "Why didn't I know that? I thought…"  
Katherine walks closer to her and takes her hand, "I could never abandon you. You were the only true friend I have ever had. You saved me at the risk of your own life. My life could never mean more than that to me."

Bella gasps as tears start to fall, "You didn't leave me."

Katherine smiles, "No."

Bella falls into her arms and they hug. Kol watches as something in his sister changes. He sees the hope that had been taken away from her come back. Just a little bit. He grins at Elena who looks at him with a surprised smile. Damon frowns at the two girls hugging like he doesn't approve.

Mikael clears his throat, "I am still going to kill Klaus. I don't care if you like it. He has caused enough problems."

Bella glares at him, "And whose fault is that, Father! Not mine. Not really his. It is yours!"

Mikael speeds over and grabs Bella by the neck. He lifts her up so her feet no longer touched the ground, "I told you I wouldn't kill you, but I am still your father and you will respect me!"

Bella chokes, "You stopped being my father when you killed me and my siblings."

He growls and throws her across the room. Kol and Elijah speed over to catch her. They all fall to the ground and groan. Rebekah walks in and freezes at the sight of Mikael, "Why are you here?" She looks at her 3 siblings getting off the ground, "What did you do?"  
Mikael smiles at her, "Hello, Rebekah."

Elena steps forward, "Mikael, you should leave here. You aren't wanted."

Mikael turns to glare at her, "I believe this house doesn't belong to you."

Damon steps forward, "But it does belong to me. When you start throwing people around and threatening people is when I kick you out. You choose how you want to go. Willingly or forcibly."

Mikael looks around at the people frowning and glaring at him, "Fine, but that will not stop me from killing Klaus."

Bella tries to stop him, but he leaves before she could do anything. She sighs, "What are we going to do?"

Kol touches her shoulder, "Maybe he is right. Klaus has caused too much trouble."

Bella slumps over, "I just can't imagine killing one of my brothers. I feel like it would be wrong. He never killed any of us. He threatened it all the time, but never followed through. I know he put you all in coffins. I don't know. I am so conflicted."

Elena sits next to her, "If you weren't then you wouldn't be who you are. None of us can say that we haven't wanted to kill him." She looks at the rest of them, "To be honest, the only reason we aren't going along with Mikael is because of you. We care about you too much."

Bella looks around at everyone nodding in agreement. She looks at Rebekah, Kol and Elijah who look down at their feet. She stands up, "Fine, but I don't want any part of it." She starts to walk out, "Oh and you better tell Caroline. Killing Klaus will kill Tyler."

* * *

Damon leaves the rest to argue over what to do and follows Bella outside. She was sitting on the porch with her hands over face. He sits next to her, "You know for a person wanting revenge against someone for so long, you make it really hard to help."

Bella looks up at him sadly, "That's the thing. I do want him to pay for everything that he has done. But not at the cost of other lives. Do you know how many people he has turned? Some of them aren't the greatest, but others try to just live as normal as they can. They aren't looking at this like I am. Do I want to kill my brother? No, but I would because he has caused a lot more harm than good. I know that. It would hurt me to do it. But I can't condemn all the others for his mistakes."

Damon frowns, "Why do you have to make so much sense?"

She laughs, "Sorry. I didn't think that you would care. From what I heard you were willing to sacrifice the few to get your way."

Damon shrugs, "I was that way. Maybe still kind of am. But being around all these humans who care so damn much, it's rubbed off on me."

She smiles at him, "It's amazing how influential they can be. Its good you know?"  
Damon frowns, "What? That I am not a monster anymore?"

She shakes her head, "No. It's good that you can be reminded of your humanity. It means that you were never a monster." Bella laughs, "At least in my opinion."

He smirks, "I like your opinion."

She rolls her eyes, "Only because it makes you sound so good."

He looks at her seriously, "I think I manage to look good without it."

She slaps his arm playfully, "You really are into yourself."

He shakes his head, "Nah, I think I am more into you."

She looks at him in surprise, "Really?"

He gives her a serious look, "Like you didn't know that. Especially after that kiss."

Bella shrugs, "A kiss can mean a million different things. Besides, I know that you are in love with Elena. Kind of a strange pattern you and your brother have."

Damon was taken aback by her response. He hadn't thought he was that obvious about his feelings for Elena, "Maybe you are just the distraction I need."

He leans over to kiss her, but she puts her hand to his lips, "I'm not here to be a distraction, Damon. Nor am I a substitute for someone that you love."

She stands up and walks away. He frowns as he watches her get in her car. He puts his hand through his hair and sighs, "Maybe I want you to be more than a distraction."

He gets up and walks inside.

* * *

Kol runs Elena home since she didn't want to be stranded at the Salvatore house with Stefan around. Plus they had been in a hurry and she didn't have her car. "Sorry for all the drama my family has caused in your life."

She laughs, "It really isn't your fault. You can't control them any better than I can control mine. I will admit your family meetings are a lot more…intense."

Kol grins, "I know." He looks sad at that, "I just wish we didn't have to talk about killing our brother. It sounds so horrible and it really is tearing Bella up. But she has to know it is for the best."

Elena shrugs, "I don't know about that. If Klaus is killed then so is Tyler. Someone I have known my entire life. Someone who has a family and friends. And Caroline. This will kill her."

Kol slumps a little, "When you put it that way, it does sound like a bad idea. I don't know. I just want Bella to feel safe again. I want to see her carefree days come back."

Elena smiles sadly, "I don't think killing Klaus will do that for her. Nothing is the same as it used to be. Before my parents died, I thought everything was perfect. Nothing could go wrong. When that was taken away from me, I could no longer feel that. When Bella lost her life because of her parents, that's when she could no longer feel safe."

He looks down at her, "How are you so smart? I never would have thought of that. Maybe we should stop looking out for Klaus and just start enjoying ourselves. We aren't really living our lives anymore."

Elena nods, "I know just the way to do that." She looks up at him shyly, "There is a dance tomorrow. Would you like to go with me?"  
Kol grins widely, "I would love to go with you."

She smiles, "Great. It's a date."

* * *

Bella walks into the grill ready to drink her problems away at the bar. She spots Matt behind the bar and sits right in front of him. He looks up, "You look upset."

She laughs, "That is an understatement." She looks up, "You know, Matt? I would give anything to be a human. Someone who didn't have to deal with a crazy older brother who wants to kill your friends and dagger you. Or a father that decides to kill all your siblings and you because he suddenly doesn't like what he helped turn you into. Or a stupid guy who is in love with someone else." She pauses, "Ok I guess that last part is pretty human."

He widens his eyes, shocked by everything she revealed, "Wow. I am glad that I am human. There still is someone's older brother that wants to kill all my friends, but at least my only problem with my family is my mom is never around. Oh and my sister was staked because she was turned into a vampire."

She winces, "Sorry. I know that life is hard no matter what. It just…"

He smiles sympathetically, "Shouldn't be lifetimes of hardship."

She nods, "I had a great human life. I'm not trying to brag, but my brothers and sister all got along and I was in love and engaged. My father was a bastard, but I had everything set. I could have been happy. Why wouldn't they let me be happy?"

He touches her hand, "I don't know. But if you weren't here, we would never have met."

She laughs, "And that would really be a shame."

He smiles, "Yes it would." He pauses and sighs, "So there is this dance tomorrow and I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

She grins broadly, "I would love to."

His eyes light up, "Awesome. I will pick you up around 7."

* * *

Bella walks out of the grill happier than when she went in. She had thought she would have to drink her sorrows away, but all she really had needed was date to a dance. She laughs at the thought. She had forgotten what it was like to be a human. She had been so busy hunting and following someone that she hadn't had time to settle in and breathe. Maybe she could make a home for herself. These people had come to mean so much to her in such a short time. She could make a new family here. Along with the family she already had gotten back. She smiles and calls Elena.

Elena answers tiredly, "Hello?"

Bella grins, "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Elena shakes her head, "Don't worry about it. Is everything ok?"  
Bella nods even though she knows Elena can't see her, "Yeah. I just got asked to the dance and I was wondering if you wanted to go dress shopping with me? Maybe Caroline and Bonnie can join. Make it a girl's day."

Elena laughs, "Yes that would be so fun. Who asked you? Damon?"

Bella's smile falters for a second, "No, it's not going to work out with him." She brightens up again, "It was Matt. I am excited."

Elena frowns, "Oh. I just thought that Damon and you were…"

Bella cuts her off, "Well we aren't."

Elena sighs, "Sorry. I just don't want you to use Matt as a replacement or something."

Bella shakes her head "I'm not. I actually really like him. He is sweet and funny and hot. I wouldn't do that to anybody."

Elena smiles, "I know. I'm sorry. Matt is one of my best friends. I was just looking out for him." She hesitates for a moment, "I have a date too."

Bella grins, "Really? With whom?"

She smiles suddenly shy, "Kol."

Bella has to stop herself from jumping up and down, "Really? That is great! Did he ask you?"

Elena laughs, "No I asked him. I will talk to Care and Bonnie in the morning."

Bella agrees and hangs up the phone. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8: Livening Up The Party

Caroline, Bonnie, Elena, Bella and even Rebekah go to the dress store the next morning. They were all excited. They tried on all the dresses they liked and even some goofy ones for the fun of it. They spent hours taking pictures and just enjoying each other's company. They all finally found dresses that they absolutely loved.

After they leave the dress shop they head to the hair salon. Bella wanted everything to be perfect. This would be the first dance that she would ever enjoy. The last one she had gone to was with Edward and it had felt very awkward. It didn't help that she had to pretend to be someone that she wasn't. Plus she had to fake a broken leg. That was not comfortable at all.

She looks over at Caroline, "Wow your hair looks amazing."

Caroline grins, "I know right! This will look perfect with my dress. Tyler is going to drool."

Bella laughs, "Maybe even literally."

All the girls burst out laughing. The stylists gave them strange looks, not understanding the joke. By the time they were done with hair and make-up it was time for them to get dresses and wait for their dates to pick them up. Bella had texted Matt and let him know to pick her up at Elena's. Kol arrived first in a limo. All the girls squealed as Jeremy went down to answer the door. Elena walks down the stairs to make her 'grand entrance' as Caroline called it.

Kol looks up and his mouth drops. She was wearing a short black strapless dress with intricate designs. Her hair was up with loose curls framing her face. He takes her hand and brings it to his lips, "You look beautiful."

She blushes, "Thank you. You look handsome yourself."

He grins, "I got a limo? It is big enough for everyone to fit in if that is ok? I figured we should arrive in style."

Elena nods and is about to go upstairs to tell the other girls when Bella yells, "Thanks, Kol!"

Kol raises his brow, "Someone has been eavesdropping."

They hear Bella laugh and yell, "I had to make sure you didn't embarrass yourself."  
Elena shakes her head, "Wait until you see her. She looks amazing in her dress."

He shrugs, "She couldn't look more amazing than you."

Bella fakes hurt, "Well that stings."

Kol frowns, "If you are going to keep yelling at me, come down here if not, then shut up."

Elena laughs, "Definitely can tell you two are related."

Matt clears his throat, "Hey. I'm here to pick up Bella."

Elena smiles, "She will be down soon. You look really nice." She lifts her hand, "Oh and you are going in the Limo with us."

Matt nods, "That should…be…"

He trails off when he sees Bella descend the stairs. She was wearing a strapless royal blue dress with rhinestones along the bodice and shorter hem. The back of the dress was satin and was longer in the back wrapping around the waist. Her hair had lose curls that were swept to the side and a beaded head band with lose curls around her face.

She smiles, "Wow, Matt. You look amazing."

He laughs, "I think you are the one who looks amazing. Definitely gorgeous."

She smiles shyly, "Well thank you. The dress will do that."

He shakes his head, "No I think it is the girl in the dress."

Elena grins, impressed, "He is right."

Tyler walks in next, "Is the party here?"  
Caroline giggles and walks down the stairs. She is wearing a red dress with one shoulder bare and the other draped and small diamonds on the side. Her hair was halfway up with spiral curls falling loosely around her shoulders.

Tyler grins, "How do you always manage to look so perfect?"  
Caroline rolls her eyes, "Is there any other way?"  
He laughs and kisses her. She pulls back, "We are going in the limo with them." She gestures to the others.

Bonnie and Rebekah walk downstairs. They had decided to be each other's dates since they hadn't had time to find real ones. Rebekah was wearing a short red satin dress and Bonnie wore a short sheer black dress with white underneath.

Bella turns to Jeremy, "Are you sure you don't want to go? You could have two dates."

Jeremy looks at Rebekah and Bonnie who both nod. He hesitates. Matt hits his shoulder, "Come on, dude. It will be fun."

Jeremy rolls his eyes, "Fine. Give me a couple minutes."

He runs upstairs and comes back five minutes later. Bonnie and Rebekah put their arms through his and they all walk out to the limo. They all drank champagne and laugh as they arrive at the school.

Caroline gets and looks around, "Why is everyone just standing outside?" She walks over to the girl closest to them, "What is going on?"  
The girl shrugs, "Someone flooded the gym."  
Caroline yells, "What? No! Who would do that?" She turns when Tyler touches her arm, "What the hell? I planned this dance to be perfect!"

He smiles at her, "Calm down, Care. I will take care of this. We will just move this to my house. Everything will work out. I promise."

Caroline frowns, "But what about the decorations."

He shakes his head, "Don't worry about it. This will work. Ok?"

She sighs and nods, "Ok." She turns to the rest, "To Tyler's house we go."

They all get back in the limo more somber than before. They were all wondering who would flood the gym. It had them worried. They get out and frown as they hear music already blaring.

Bella turns to Tyler, "Why do you already have a band? Did you plan this?"

He shakes his head, "No. Klaus did." He said this like it was no big deal.

Bella rubs her forehead, "Why the hell… you know what? I don't care. I came here to have fun. We will just ignore him."

Matt grins, "I love that plan." He holds out his arm, "Shall we?"

She takes it, "We shall. Tyler you have to invite me in."

Tyler nods, "Isabella Mikaelson, please, come in."

They walk through the house and look around. The party was already bumping. She looks at Matt and nods towards the backyard where the live band was. He nods and leads the way.

Klaus steps in front of him, "Well, well Isabella. You look beautiful. And I see you brought a human pet."

Bella glares, "He is not a pet. He is my date." She sighs, "Listen, Klaus. For tonight can we call a truce? I just want to have a little fun." She gives him the puppy dog look that he never could resist, "Please."

He laughs, "You always know how to get your way. Even now. Of course." He touches her cheek, "That's all I ever wanted for you, sweet Isabella."

She smiles slightly, "Thanks, Nik."

Matt and her walk over to the punch, "Are you ok, Bella?"

She nods holding back the tears, "For a second he was my big brother again."

Matt turns her head towards him and looks her in the eye, "I know. I saw the love he has for you in his eyes. The first time I ever saw any real emotion. That's how amazing you are, Bella."

She smiles and kisses his cheek, "Let's dance."

He laughs and they walk out to the dance floor. Kol had seen the exchange between Bella and Klaus. He couldn't believe how much Klaus still adored her. No matter what they went through he would never be able to hurt her. And that made Kol relax a little.

He looks over at Elena, "Care to dance?"  
She grins, "I would love that. Stefan hated dancing."

Kol gives her a mock look of shock, "What? Who hates dancing? That is just insane." She laughs, "You may have to teach me a couple of moves. It's been a long time."

She nods and leads him out to the dance floor. They dance near Matt and Bella. They change partners and then switch back. Bella was having an amazing time. They all stepped off the dance floor for a little breather and so they could get something to eat. They found a table on the patio that was far enough away from the music so they were able to hear each other talk. Damon walks over and sits on the other side of Bella.

He smiles, "You look very lovely, Isabella."

She smiles politely, "Thanks."

Elena frowns, "What are you doing here?"

Damon raises a brow at her, "Thanks for that welcome. Blondie called. Told me what happened. Figures I would check it out."

Bella shrugs, "Tyler is sired to Klaus. Just like all the hybrids in this crowd are."

They all look at her in surprise except for Kol, who had already figured this out. Elena is the first to ask, "How do you know?"

She laughs, "It's obvious, isn't it? Tyler would never ruin a dance that his girlfriend who is Caroline helped plan. You do know how she is, right?"

Matt nods, "Yeah. It makes sense."

Damon shakes his head, "Then he shouldn't be alone with her."

Kol frowns, "He would never hurt her."

Bella shakes her head, "Unless Klaus tells him too. He won't want to, but he won't be able to stop himself."

Damon gets up, "I am going to find her. Just to be safe."

Bella groans, "So much for ignoring the whole Klaus situation."

Matt grabs her hand, "Come on, we can dance-"

He is cut off by a noise in the front. Bella freezes when she recognizes the voice. She speeds in and stands behind Klaus in the doorway. Soon she is joined by Rebekah and Kol. Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy and Matt appear slower and stay farther back.

Klaus growls, "What the hell are you doing here?"  
Mikael frowns, "Is that any way to greet your father?"

Bella walks up beside him, "You are interrupting a fun dance, father." She says the last word with venom, "I suggest you leave."

Mikael shakes his head, "Oh, Isabella. I just came here to talk to Klaus."

Rebekah walks up to the other side of him, "Liar. We know why you are here, remember?"

Mikael glares at all of them, "You better step back. This is between the two of us."

Damon runs down the stairs and his about to walk forward, but is held back by Stefan.

Klaus growls, "You should leave before you make a scene."

Mikael laughs, "Me? Are you talking about your hybrids? It wasn't hard to compel them to my side. Woops. Who will protect you now?"

Kol steps forward, "We will. It is about time we end this."

Mikael smiles, "Look at my children. All joining hands once again to go against their father."

Bella snarls, "We will never let you win!"

Klaus smirks, "You didn't expect that did you? It looks like our bond is strong no matter what."

Bella watches as Mikael pulls out a white oak stake and looks over at Klaus who was halfway out the door. She screams and jumps in front of him.

Klaus's eyes widen and he yells, "ISABELLA! NO!"  
Kol falls to the ground screaming. Rebekah puts a shaky hand over her mouth as sobs rack her body. Damon tries to break loose from Stefan's hold, but is unable. Bella closes her eyes and waits for the darkness of death. When it doesn't come, she opens her eyes. Katherine stands over the body of Mikael whose body had gone up in flames. She turns to Bella and catches her as she falls to her knees.

Katherine holds her in a tight embrace, repeating, "You're ok." Over and over again.

Bella sobs into her shoulder unable to hold back. She didn't know if she was crying because she almost died or if it was because her father was dead. Katherine continued to comfort and soothe her until she is able to control herself. She looks up, "You saved me."

Katherine smiles, "I owed you one."

Bella laughs unable to stop it she starts to laugh harder, "My emotions are all over the place right now."

Katherine touches her face, "You almost died, hon. Anybody would feel a little turmoil."  
Bella smiles, "Thanks. You can run now. I know you want. With Klaus being two feet away and all."

Katherine sighs, slightly relieved, "Thanks. You are awesome."

She speeds off and Bella turns to her family. Klaus is the first one to hug her, "I have never been so scared!" He pulls back and shakes her gently, "What the hell were you thinking, Isabella Marie Mikaelson! How many times do I have to tell you not to pull these crazy stunts! Why can't you listen?" He pulls her in for another hug.

She feels tears start to fall again, "Sorry, Nik, I just couldn't let him kill you. And if I hadn't Kat would never have saved you." She pulls back, "You should really be careful who you anger."

He tries to give her a stern look, but she sees the laughter in his eyes, "You ever pull a stunt like that again, I swear I will…"

She tilts her head, "Will what? Ground me? Good luck with that."

He laughs and turns around, "Maybe you two can talk some sense into her."

Kol runs to her and hugs her so tightly she could barely breathe, "Kol! I can't breathe!"

Kol pulls away and shakes her like Klaus did, "I could kill you right now!"

She grins, "Really? I nearly die and you threaten to kill me?"  
Kol gently pulls her hair, "I said I could not that I would. See this is why I have to be around to hold you back. You are always doing insane things that can kill you."

Rebekah rolls her eyes, "She is Izzy. That is just what she does. She is crazy. We should have checked her into an insane asylum a long time ago."

Bella looks at her sister, "Really? You think that would stop me."

Rebekah considers that and shakes her head, "Nah. Move Kol." She pushes him out of her way and hugs Bella, "Seriously, if you ever jump in front of a white oak stake again I will shave your hair. You will be bald."

Bella gasps with mock horror, "No! Not my hair!"

They take the one step into the doorway and smile at everybody standing there listening to their conversations. Bella breaks the silence, "I'm not dead."

Kol and Rebekah burst out laughing. Elena steps forward shaking her head, "Thanks, Captain Obvious! You really know how to scare people don't you?"

Bella shrugs, "Someone had to liven up this party."

Damon scoffs, "You are so hilarious." With that he walks out the door.

She looks over her shoulder and frowns, "Someone can't take a joke." She looks at Matt, "Would you like to dance?"

Matt laughs, amazed, "You are definitely a rollercoaster."


	9. Chapter 9: Just You

**A/N: So Klaus could be evil, he could be good. We shall see. I am still deciding. I do have plans for him in the future though, so just wait and see. Keep reading and reviewing and enjoying. :)))**

**Also Tyler did have to invite Kol and Rebekah in I just figured it would have been weird if I had him keep saying come in lol. And as for him being a hybrid, I don't know how that works. If it is different for him than most vampires. I just figured he could.**

**XOXO**

* * *

Kol and Elena left the party first. Elena was tired and still feeling overwhelmed by the nights events. Tyler had let them borrow his car so that Matt and Bella still had a ride home in the limo. Caroline had inexplicably disappeared. When Elena had freaked out over this, Tyler explained he had taken her home when Damon had asked him if he wanted harm to come to her because of Klaus. Bonnie and Jeremy had gotten a ride with some other friends and Rebekah decided to stay with Klaus. She wanted to make sure he was alright and didn't do anything stupid.

Elena pulls up in front of her house, "Well that was an interesting night."

Kol looks at his hands, "I'm sorry it was so messed up. And that you didn't have any fun."

She looks over at him bewildered, "Of course I had fun. I don't think I have had that much fun in a long time. The only part that was horrible was when we thought Bella died. Normally after that Stefan and Damon would drag me out of there. But we stayed and made the best of it." She grabs his hand, "I am glad that I went with you."

He looks over at her happily, "Really? I was afraid my family would scare you away."

She shakes her head, "Just the opposite. I have never seen Klaus so…human. I didn't know he could care so much for anyone."

Kol smiles, "Bella has always had that effect on him. Even when he was threatening her and throwing her against walls. She is his one weakness. He would be angry if the rest of us died, but he would be devastated if anything happened to her. What you saw tonight was his big brother instinct. You just got a small glance of who he used to be."

Elena sighs, "Do you think he will be a better person now?"

Kol shrugs, "I don't know. This isn't the first time his big brother side has come out and I know it won't be the last, considering Bella loves to get into trouble, but we got our hopes up then, too. It is better to just take him in stride."

Elena nods, "I'm sorry. I know how hard that has to be."

Kol smiles sadly, "It was nice to feel like a family. At least for a little while. I never thought that I would object to Klaus's death, but when I saw Mikael there…"

Elena touches his cheek, "I know. If Jeremy were to…become evil I guess, wouldn't be able to let anyone kill him either. You did the right thing. Standing up for Klaus like that. No one can be mad at you for it."

Kol sighs with relief and touches the hand that was on his cheek. He looks up at her and she leans closer to him. He puts his hand on the side of her neck and pulls her into a kiss. She sighs against his mouth. This is what she had been waiting for all night. She leaned in more wanting to be as close to him as possible. He pulled her over to him so that she was straddling his lap. He put his hand in her hair and deepened the kiss.

She pulls back, breathing hard, "Wow. That was…the best kiss I have ever experienced."

Kol laughs, "Comes from years of experience."

She slaps his arm, "Someone is suddenly cocky."

He shakes his head, "I had to say it. But seriously, that was truly amazing."

She nods, "Then why stop?"

* * *

Matt and Bella get in the limo an hour after Elena and Kol leave. They had helped Tyler clean up a little. They sat in silence on the way back to Elena's house. Elena had asked her to stay the night so they could have 'girl' talk about their night.

Matt walks her to the door, "Well that was definitely not boring."

Bella sighs, "I'm sorry my family causes so much drama."

He shakes his head, "No worries. I still had a fun night. You do know how to make near death fun."

Bella laughs, "You have no idea how many times I have been there, though tonight was the closest I have ever come. I felt the tip of that stake touch my skin. It was the scariest moment."

Matt touches her cheek, "I can't believe I am saying this, but thank God for Katherine."

She smiles, "I have been saying that in my head all night."

He smiles and leans down, kissing her. She closes her eyes, waiting for the spark, but it never came. She pulls back, "Matt…"  
He puts his forehead against hers, "I know."

She frowns, "You do?"  
He nods pulling back but keeping his hand on her neck, "Yes. The way Damon reacted to you dying and the way you looked hurt when he walked away. You love him."

She shakes her head, "I don't know if I love him, but there is something there." She groans angrily, "Why can't it be there with you? I really like you. You are sweet and funny and handsome."

He smiles, "I know. I am a catch." She laughs lightly, "But the heart wants what the heart wants, Bella"

She sighs, "Well, right now I wish my heart weren't so stupid."

He laughs and kisses her forehead, "I'll see you around."

She nods and watches as he walks away. She walks inside and leans against the closed door, slowly sitting down. Elena walks down the stairs and sits next to her. "Are you ok?"  
Bella shakes her head, "I don't know. I just…I don't know."

Elena smiles, "Sometimes you can't know. And no matter how much you want it to be different you can't force it."

She looks over at Elena, "I'm sorry." Elena frowns in confusion. Bella elaborates, "I told you that I wasn't using him to replace Damon."  
Elena laughs, "I don't think you were. I think you really like Matt, you just like Damon more."

Bella sighs, "Why is life so hard?"

Elena shrugs, "Who knows?" She stands up holding out a hand for Bella. As they walk up the stairs, Elena asks, "So what do you think Klaus's plan was for tonight? He didn't flood the gym for no reason."  
Bella thinks about it, "I have no idea, but I don't think it went according to plan. I mean we are all here and accounted for, right?"

Elena nods, "I guess we should be glad for the Mikael interruption."

Bella saddens, "Yeah. Good ole dad."

Elena rubs her back comfortingly, "Are you ok with that? I mean, your father being dead."

Bella shrugs, "I don't know. It's a relief I don't have to worry about him coming after me anymore, but he was still my father. I have conflicted emotions."

Elena sighs, "I know how that is." She sits on her bed, "I hate it." She looks ups, "Maybe I can cheer you up with my night. Kol and I made out in the front seat of Tyler's car."

Bella laughs hysterically, "You really know how to change the subject. I am so happy for you?"

Elena grins, "You should be. He is an excellent kisser."

Bella wrinkles her nose in disgust, "Um, gross. I didn't need to know that."

Elena rolls her eyes, "Let's just go to bed."

* * *

The next morning Bella knocks on the Salvatore's door. She had decided that it was time to figure out her feelings and that started with figuring out Damon's as well. She didn't want to have to waste her time on someone that would never feel the same about her.

Stefan opens the door and smirks, "Well, well look who it is."

She rolls her eyes, "Is Damon here?"

He grins, "Yes, he is. Would you like to come in?"

She ignores him and pushes past him. He walks over to the bar and pours her bourbon, "Your favorite, if I do recall."

She sits on the couch and takes it. She looks at him expectantly, "Are you going to tell Damon I'm here or not?"  
He half smiles, "Why would I do that? Is so much better to watch you squirm?"

She stands up and throws the glass at him, "You are such a horrible person! I can't imagine why Elena ever fell in love with you!"

She turns to leave, but he speeds up behind her and takes her shoulders. She feels his breath on her neck as whispers, "You know exactly how she can love me. You know you felt it once."

She turns on him, "I never loved you. You were just a one night stand. A distraction."

He grabs her neck and kisses her harshly. She yanks him off and throws him against the wall. She speeds over and puts her arm over his neck, "You ever touch me again and you will have to walk around without a head!"

He grins wickedly, "I love it when you are feisty."

She growls and is about to snap his neck when someone pulls her away. She tries to struggle, but the arm was so solid she gave up.

Damon glares at Stefan, "Don't you have a doppelganger to follow around?"  
Stefan shakes his head, "Klaus let me go. I am free to do as I please." He smiles at Bella, "I guess I have you to thank for that."

She feels her fangs as she snaps, "I did nothing for you!"

Stefan just shrugs and runs out the door. Damon loosens his hold and she sinks into the sofa with her head in her hands. Damon hands her another glass of bourbon and sits down next to her. They sit there in silence for a couple minutes letting her cool off.

Damon sighs, "So you and Stefan? Really?"

She groans, "Of course you heard that. I was in a bad place and he was in his ripper mode. I was drinking heavily and it happened. Once. I have regretted it ever since. Even more now." She sits back and throws back the whole glass of bourbon, "God! I am so pissed! He just makes me want to kill him."

Damon laughs, "Good thing I was here." He sighs, "So what are you doing here?"  
She looks up, "I wanted to talk to you…about last night."

He groans, "How was your date with the busboy?"

She rolls her eyes at his obvious jealousy, "Matt. And it was fine. He was a real gentleman." Damon stands up and glares at the wall. She sighs, "But, unfortunately, he isn't the one that I want to be with. My stupid feelings make me want to be with you."

He turns back to her, "Why do you sound so angry about that?"  
She stands up and yells, "Because you are so infuriating! You act all sweet and great, but then you look at Elena like she is the love of your freaking life! Then you kiss me and make me want you even more! You are playing games with my head and I hate it!" She flings her arms in the air, "I hate it so much more because I just want to give in and let you use me as a distraction because you can't have the girl you really want! I hate it!"

Damon slowly walks over to her and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear letting his hand linger, "You aren't a distraction. I don't want Elena. I did, but something about you changed that. I want you. Just you."

She looks up at him and sighs. She grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him in for a kiss. He pushes her back and she falls onto the couch with him on top of her. She wraps her legs around his waist and lifts his shirt over his head. She explores every inch of his chest with her hands and moans as he kisses her neck. This is what she had been looking for. The sparks that made her shiver with anticipation. She never wanted…

"Damon…Oh. I'm sorry."

Damon looks up and growls at Elena, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He gets up, pulling Bella with him, who looks over and sees Kol seething behind Elena, "Shit."

Elena looks behind her and grabs Kol's hand like she was trying to keep him calm, "Um, I just wanted to tell you that Stefan stole one of Klaus's coffins. The only one that was left."

Bella stands up, more alert, "What? Why would he do that? How do you know?"  
Kol growls, "Klaus came to our hotel room thinking it was one of us. I told him it wasn't and then Stefan called. I heard the whole thing. Apparently it won't open." He glares at Bella, "I went over to Elena's thinking that you would be there. Turns out you were here." He turns his glare on Damon, "With him."

Bella rolls her eyes, "Oh calm down, Kol. Or should I get mad that you made out with Elena in the front seat of Tyler's car?" She puts a finger to her chin pretending to think, "Hmmm, how does this go? Oh, right." She talks in an accent like Kol's, "You are way too young to be running around with a girl. You need to get your priorities straight. When she hurts you, who do you think is going to be the one to put back the pieces? Me. Blah blah blah."

Elena tries to hold back the laugh, "She has a point. I think she is old enough now. She is over a thousand years old."

Kol sighs heavily, "Fine! Do whatever you want. His isn't the point anyway. Who is in that coffin?"  
Bella smiles, "Our mother."

Kol's face falls, "What? But we buried her. I remember burying her."

Bella laughs, "That is what Klaus wanted you to think. He switched out the coffins. He hid her in a place no one would ever look."

Kol frowns, "Then how do you know?"

She shrugs, "I helped him do it." They all gasp and she shakes her head, "He said he wanted her to be safe. I didn't get it, but no one can argue with him. I just figured he didn't like the idea of leaving her behind."

Damon looks between the two, "So what does this mean?"  
Bella shakes her head, "I don't know. He can't open it without the help of two witches of the same generation."

Elena gasps, "Bonnie."


	10. Chapter 10: I Don't Wanna Die

**A/N: Ok so I know a lot of this is scrambled and not exactly how it happens in the show. But I am trying to make it my own and the only way to do that is change a few facts and throw caution to the wind. I hope you still enjoy it and keep reading and reviewing. :)))**

**XOXO**

* * *

Bonnie opens Jeremy's door and looks behind her shoulder, "You don't think they knew I was here, do you?"

Jeremy frowns at her, "Why? Are you ashamed of me?"  
Bonnie shakes her head, "No, of course not. I just want to talk to Elena before. Make sure she is ok with us. It's a best friend thing."

Jeremy laughs, "Fine. But tell her soon."

Bonnie looks at him, confused, "It's not like we have been sneaking around for days. It only just happened last night."

Jeremy smiles, "I know, but I want to be able to brag about you being my girl. Take you out. All that fun stuff."

Bonnie grins, "Well, aren't you sweet, Jeremy Gilbert."

He leans down and kisses her, "Always."

Bonnie walks downstairs and is startled by her phone ringing, "Hello? Stefan? Why are you calling me?"  
Stefan shrugs, "I have something of Klaus's that I need your help opening."

Bonnie looks over at Jeremy, shocked, "What is it?"  
Stefan laughs bitterly, "I don't know. Will you help me? This could get rid of Klaus for good. There has to be a reason he locked it."

Bonnie rushes to put on her coat, "I will be there as soon as I can."  
She hangs up and is about to leave when Jeremy stops her, "What is going on?"

Bonnie hesitates, "Stefan has something that could get rid of Klaus for good."

Jeremy frowns, "Are you sure that is a good idea? Bella…"  
Bonne shakes him off, "Bella wants him gone too. The only reason she stood up to Mikael for him is because he is the one that did this to them. She blames him for making Klaus who he is. We can't live with this fear anymore."

Jeremy nods, "Then I am coming with you."

* * *

Bella paces the living room. She didn't know if waking their mother was a good idea. But at the same time she did miss her. Would her mother really bring harm to them? She was more reasonable than Mikael. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Couldn't she just have a family that wanted to be just that? Why did they all have to be so crazy?

She looks at Kol, "Maybe we should help them. I can't see the harm. Mother never hated us as much as Mikael did. Maybe not at all." She runs her hand through her hair, "I don't know. This is all so crazy! I don't know how much more I can take. I just…"

She trails off when there is a knock on the door. Damon puts his hand on her shoulder for a second, then goes to the door. She sits next to Kol and lays her head on his shoulder. He puts his arm around her shoulder, "Everything is going to be ok, Bells. I promise."

Damon walks in frowning, "Bella? It's for you."

She looks up confused and then grins widely when she sees who walks in behind him, "Jacob." She runs over to him and jumps into his arms. He lifts her up and smiles. She steps back, "What are you doing here? How did you know I would be here?"

Jacob laughs, "A blonde guy at the Mystic Grill said you would probably be here. As for the first question." He pauses and sighs, "Victoria is here. With an army."

Bella groans, "Of course! I can't catch a break."

Kol stands up, "Who is this? And who is Victoria?"

Bella sighs, "This is Jacob Black. He is my best friend from Forks. That is where I was before I came here. And Victoria is some bitch who wants to pay back the Cullen's for killing her mate, James. I am that pay back. She just doesn't know that I am more dangerous than she thought."

Elena frowns, "And the army."

Bella shakes her head, "Klaus isn't the only one who likes to build armies of his own kind."

Jacob nods, "They are more dangerous than her. Newborns."

Bella grinds her teeth, "Are you kidding me? Is she trying to invoke the wrath of the volturi? Or risk exposure? This is all so stupid."

Jacob raises his brow, "It's those bloodsuckers fault!"

Everyone in the room gasps except Bella, "Now, now Jake. You need to be careful what you say. Not everyone knows you like I do."

Jacob looks behind her as if noticing the others for the first time "Aren't you going to introduce me?"  
She grins, "Jake, this is Elena, she is a human and a doppelganger…I will explain that later. This is Damon, a vampire." She walks over to Kol, "And this is my twin brother, Kol."

Jacob smiles, "So you got him back. Congrats, vamp!" He pats her on the back.

She rolls her eyes, "Thanks wolf boy."

Kol's eyes widen, "He is a werewolf?"

Bella shakes her head, "Not exactly. Unlike them he can transform whenever he wants. And he can control himself. No blind rage."

Damon studies him, "Ok. So who are these Cullen's you mentioned earlier?"

Bella hesitates and sighs, "They are this coven of vampires back in Forks. But they a different kind. Cold ones. They have pale, cold skin. Their eyes are either gold or red depending on their diet. Um, they don't really have fangs. Oh and they sparkle in the sunlight instead of burn."

Jacob grins, "You forgot to tell them how they are killed."

Bella laughs, "Oh yeah. The only way to kill them is to rip off their heads and limbs and burn them. Brutal."

Kol raises a brow at her, "And what did they have to do with you."

She shrugs, "I dated Edward Cullen. Just to see what they were. They baffled me when I first met them. I was a little fascinated by them. Then I got bored and broke up with him and he got all clingy. I had to compel him to leave me alone. So annoying."

Jacob coughs and looks down at his feet, "There is one more thing that I should tell you."

She snaps around, "Don't tell me the Cullen's are coming here. Please."

Jacob's eyes dart back and forth, "Ok I won't." He sighs, "But they are."

Bella sits on the couch, "Son of a bitch. It must be my lucky day."

Elena sits next to her, "Maybe we should concentrate on one problem at a time."

Bella looks over at her, "Which one do we worry about first?"  
Kol shrugs, "Our mother. Do we free her or not?"

Bella sighs, "I think we should. It is time we get the answers to our questions, don't you think?"

Kol nods, "Ok then. Elena, can you tell Bonnie?"

Elena gets out her phone and walks out of the room. Bella watches her, "What's next?"

Damon shakes his head, "The Cullen's. Figure out why they are coming here. See if we can get rid of them. Or maybe they can help us with our last problem."

Bella considers, "Probably not our last problem, but one that is more important than the rest. Victoria. We have to find a way to either get her to leave or fight her without anyone seeing. That should be fun."

* * *

Bonnie answers her phone, "Hey, Elena."

Elena gets right to the point, "Stefan took a coffin from Klaus and he is going to need you and someone else from your line to open it. We want to help."

Bonnie frowns, "How do you know this?"

Elena sighs, "Klaus accused Kol then overheard the call from Stefan. He told me, we told Bella. She knows everything that needs to be known about who is inside and how to open it. Apparently she was the one trusted with all the family secrets."

Bonnie bites her lip, "Ok. I will talk to Stefan. I am with him now."  
Elena agrees and hangs up. Bonnie walks back into the witch house and walks down to the basement. Stefan looks up as she comes in, "Who was that?"  
She wrinkles her brow, "That was Elena. They want to help us open this coffin. Apparently Bella has all the answers we need. She even knows who is inside."

Jeremy sighs, "That's a good thing then. We can deal with all of our problems."

Stefan shakes his head, "Why would she want to help us? Maybe there is something that she wants out of this."

Bonnie rolls her eyes, "Or maybe she is tired of all this." She opens her arms wide, encompassing the whole room, "I know after a thousand years I would be. Isn't it time for her to actually live?"  
Stefan looks down trying to hide the emotions he was starting to feel again, "I guess you are right."

Bonnie tilts her head, "You don't have to hide, Stefan. I know that you turned your humanity back on. You wouldn't be doing this if you hadn't."

He looks up at her and genuinely smiles, "Someone had to."

Bonnie laughs, "Let's go back to your house. We are meeting everyone there."

* * *

Caroline was yelling at Tyler when her phone rang. All he did was what Klaus told him. She was tired of it. Tired of him. This stupid sire bond had to go away soon or she was going to end up killing someone. Her phone starts ringing again.

She snaps it open, "What?"  
Elena's eyes widen, "Way to bite my head off."

Caroline sighs, "Sorry. I was just dealing with Tyler."

Elena laughs, "Oh. Well is he still there?"  
Caroline nods, "Yeah why?"  
Elena groans, "Leave the room so he can't hear this."

Caroline looks over at Tyler then speeds out of the house and into the forest, "Ok. I am outside now. What is going on?"

Elena sighs, "We have some…issues that we need to deal with. One of them is a coffin that Stefan stole from Klaus. Just get to the Salvatore house. We are going to need your help."

Caroline agrees and hangs up the phone. She gets in her car and drives off, not seeing that Tyler had followed her.

He speeds off to tell Klaus.

* * *

Klaus yells, "What? Why would they want to open that damn coffin?"

Tyler shrugs, "I don't know if that's what they want to do. I just know that they are having a meeting about the coffin."

Klaus glares, "You really are no help!" He points to two hybrids, "You two! Go spy at the Salvatore house. Tell me everything that they say!" He looks back at Tyler, "As for you…Bite Caroline. Maybe losing one of their friends will teach them a lesson."

Tyler frowns, "I won't do that! I am done! You can't make me do anything that you say!" He speeds out and goes home. He couldn't believe that Klaus had told him to do that. He wouldn't follow this order. Sire bond or not. Caroline was not to be harmed.

* * *

Later, Bella walks into the Grill and sits at the bar. Once again she felt like drinking her problems away. One day soon she was going to have a normal life, whether her family liked it or not. Matt walks over, "Uh oh. It looks like someone is having problems again."

She laughs, "Am I really that easy to read? I wish there was a way to stop being a vampire and be a human."

Matt shakes his head, "I don't think you would know how to be a human anymore."

She frowns, "Who knows? Doesn't matter. It is impossible." She studies him, "Now that you know who and what I am, can I get that bourbon?"  
He laughs, "Yeah I think I can make the exception for you."

She grins, "Thank, Matt."

He walks off to get her drink. She looks around the room much like she did the first day that she got here. No one she normally didn't see. She sighed. No surprises yet. She hopes the Cullen's will get lost and never get here.

Matt puts the bourbon in front of her, "Here you go. Drink away your sorrows."

She laughs and takes a drink, "Thanks and keep them coming."

A few drinks later she was feeling buzzed. She did enjoy this feeling. It was the only time she felt like she could actually be free of all this. She didn't even care. Maybe she was more than buzzed. She stands up and falls back, off balance. Yep, definitely drunk.

She looks at Matt and smiles lazily, "You know, Matt, you are very adorable. Also I think…"

She trails off when Caroline stumbles through the door with a nasty bite on her neck. Bella instantly sobers and runs over to her, "Caroline? Are you ok?"

Caroline widens her eyes, "Tyler bit me!"

Bella gasps, "Oh. Shit." She looks behind her, "Matt! Call Elena. Tell her Caroline has been bitten."

Matt nods and pulls out his phone. Bella picks her up, "Don't worry, Care. I will take care of this."

Caroline nods and they take off. Bella heads for Klaus's house. She knew he was responsible and she knew that he was the only way to save her.

She doesn't bother to knock and just walks in. Klaus is sitting on the couch reading a book when he glances up, "Oh, hey Isabella. How are you?"  
Bella growls, "You did this! You need to fix this."

Klaus laughs sarcastically, "Why would I do that?"

Bella sits Caroline down in a chair and she moans, her head falling to the side. Bella sits next to Klaus, "Look at her Klaus. She is going to die."

Caroline whispers, "I'm so sorry."

Bella walks over, "Its ok, Hon, I will fix this."

Caroline smiles, "It's my birthday today. But we had a funeral instead. Matt couldn't make it because he had to work. Tyler made it, though."

Klaus frowns and looks at Bella "Let me talk to her alone." He sees the argument in her eyes, "Please, you can be in the next room. I won't harm her."

Bella nods, "Fine."

She walks out. Caroline looks up at him weakly, "Are you going to kill me?"

Klaus sighs softly, "On your birthday? You really think that low of me?"

Caroline nods, "Yes."

Klaus examines her bite, "That looks bad. My apologies, you're what's known as collateral damage, it's nothing personal." Pauses, "I love birthdays."

Caroline snickers, "Yeah. Aren't you like...a billion, or something?"

Klaus shakes his head, "Well you have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. You're free."

Caroline frowns weakly, "No, I'm dying."

Klaus sits on the chair next to her, "And I could let you die, if that's what you want. If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I thought about it myself, once or twice over the centuries, truth will be told. But I'll let you in on a little secret. There is a whole world out there, waiting for you. Great cities and art and music, genuine beauty. And you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask."

Caroline hesitates, "I don't wanna die."

Klaus lifts Caroline's head up and offers her his wrist, "There you go, sweetheart. Have at it." She bites him. He smiles, "Happy birthday, Caroline."

Bella sits just outside her room, crying from what her brother had said. He was right. There was so much to see. He had given Caroline the option to live or die. She just didn't know how to react to him anymore. How could he be good and evil?


	11. Chapter 11: We Have To Make This Better

Bella drove Caroline home. They had been sitting in silence for the first 5 minutes. Both deep in thought about what had just happened. Neither of them knew how to react to what Klaus had done. He had saved Caroline's life but he had been the one to put it in danger.

Caroline looks over, "I don't understand. Why would he try to kill me only to save me?"

Bella shakes her head, just as confused, "I don't know. He has so many different sides to him. He can be extremely evil or extremely good. He never does anything half-assed."

Caroline laughs, "That's true. I just have never seen this side of him before. He was so…kind." She turns in her seat, "He gave me a choice. Before that I had been feeling down. Like my life was stuck in pause. I had no meaning. Then he tells me about great art and genuine beauty. He made me want to see it. He made me want to live."

Bella pulls into her driveway, seeing her house was full, "Did you really feel like that?"

She nods, "I did. I didn't want this life for myself. I had everything planned out. It was perfect. Then Katherine killed me. And nothing made sense anymore. It all fell apart." She sighs, "Then Klaus has Tyler almost kill me and tells me there are amazing things out there. Things that I should see. I just…I just never thought I would feel like I could make plans again."

Bella squeezes Caroline's hand, "No matter what happens in your life, you can always make plans. Don't focus on one thing like I did for most of my life. That never makes you happy. Fall in love with the world. Memorize it. And when you are done? Do it all again. I will join you. As soon as everything settles down around here and you graduate high school, we will see the world."

Caroline smiles and hugs her, "Thank you, Bella. This is going to sound weird but you are a real knight in shining armor around here."  
Bella laughs and shakes her head, "Let's go. There are some people waiting to see you."

They hop out of the car and attacked with hugs from Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt, Kol, Rebekah, Elijah and Damon. They were all talking at once unable to control the emotions they were feeling. She stands back and leans against the door frame.

Kol walks over to her, "That was a nice speech. I let the others know what you said and what she said." He studies her, "Why do you look so sad?"  
Bella sighs, "I have spent my whole life either following Klaus around or chasing him around. I never stopped and enjoyed a single second of it. One thousand years and I don't have a single thing to brag about. I could have been exploring the world." She looks down, "When I was a little girl I dreamed about one thing. Adventure. Love, loss, excitement. I have the loss part. I just don't have the rest. Caroline thought she was stuck, but I am the one who is stuck, Kol. And I don't know if I can dig myself out."

She turns around, "I'm going to go for a drive. Tell them I said bye."

Kol watches her leave and puts his head in his hands. They had all put too much pressure on her. Expecting her to be strong when the rest of them were weak. They had beaten her down into someone they no longer recognized.

Rebekah started to walks towards him, but stopped at his expression, "Is Bella ok?"

Kol shakes his head, "No and she never will be. Not with us around."

Elijah looks up and Rebekah frowns, "What do you mean?"

Kol stares up angrily, "Look at her, Becks! All she has done her entire life is make sure all of us were happy! No matter how many times we disappointed her, she was there. She hasn't lived her life. We left her alone, even when we are together, she is alone. We have broken that young girl who liked to run in the forest and tease us."

Rebekah lets the tears fall silently and Elijah holds his head in shame as the rest of them listen. Elijah looks up, "Is that why she wants to bring our mother back? So she can feel a part of her human life come back?"

Kol shakes his head, "I don't know. Maybe. It doesn't matter. All that matters is we get out of this mess and we help her move forward."

Rebekah nods, "I will do anything for her. Anything."

Caroline steps forward, "We are going to see the world after graduation. You should join us. We can make it a group thing. That can be the start of her adventure. It is always better to adventure with the ones you love. It can be the start of all of our new lives."

Elena agrees enthusiastically, "We can just forget all of this. Even if it isn't all resolved by then. It is time she finds happiness." She looks at Damon, "Right?"  
He smirks, "I'm always up for travel."

* * *

Bella sits in her car next to Jacob. He was the only one that had ever really been there for her when she needed him. When she had told him her secret he hadn't judged her or told her she was a monster. He had embraced her and told her that he would never leave her side. When she had left Caroline's house she didn't know where she was going. She had ended up calling him. Now they were sitting on the edge of town.

Jacob looks over at her, "Is everything ok, Bells?"

She runs her hand through her hair, "I don't know. I just feel like everything is falling apart. My whole life has been…just me. Going from place to place, but not really enjoying anything. I didn't get to see the sights. Go to a café in Paris with some hot French guy. I was too busy chasing my older brother around, trying to get my family back. And now? Now, I have them. Yet I still feel incomplete. Being a vampire is supposed to be about living forever. Seeing everything the world has to offer. Experiencing different people in different centuries or decades. Watching the world change and evolve. But I didn't get to any of that."

Jacob holds her hand, "You still have time, Bella. You will always have time. That is another great thing about being a vampire. You have millions of lifetimes."

She looks over at him with tears in her eyes, "I don't want millions of lifetimes. I look at all the people around me who get to go to school and fall in and out of love. Get married and have kids. Watch their kids fall in love and have kids. Maybe even those kids have kids. Grow old together and die together. That is what living is supposed to be. That is what being a vampire has taken away from me. I didn't want this. I had to opportunity to marry the man I loved, but it was stolen from me. My life was stolen. Nothing will ever be the same."

Jacob gets out of the car and walks around, opens her door and pulls her out for a hug. He couldn't imagine the pain that she was feeling. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have your parents kill you. He held her sobbing form trying to give her comfort he knew she would never feel.

He pulls back, "I am so sorry, Bella. If I could give you my human life, I would. I would do anything for you. You have suffered for too long."

Bella wipes at the tears she couldn't stop from falling, "I just…I just want my life."

Jacob hugs her again, "I know, Bella, I know." He rubs her back, "It's going to be ok."

Another car comes up and pulls to the side of the road. They both look up thinking it was someone from their group of friends. But a stranger neither one of them had met before steps out. She holds out her hands and Bella and Jacob fly apart. The woman walks over to Bella and puts her hand on her head. Bella feels electricity flow through her body as the woman murmurs something in Latin. She feels the skin on her arms and legs rip apart leaving large gashes. She feels a lot of smaller but deep cuts over the rest of her body. She screams and cries out in pain until it is all too much. She falls to the ground in a dark abyss.

* * *

Jacob wakes up after passing out from a hit on his head. The car was gone. He looks around frantically and sees Bella lying on the ground with deep gashes and cuts all over her. She wasn't moving. He didn't know if she was dead or alive. He picks her up and puts her in the back seat. He speeds back into town and tries to find where she said her friends were, hoping they still would be there. He recognizes Damon's car and parks behind it. He throws open his door and hers not bothering to close them.

He yells, "Help me! Someone help me!"

Kol, Rebekah, Elijah, Caroline and Damon speed out. The rest run out a bit slower. They all gasp at who he was carrying. Kol grabs her and runs her inside, "What the hell happened to her?"  
Jacob shakes his head frantically, "I don't know. This woman pulled over to where we were and she flung us apart with some sort of magic. That's all I remember. I woke up and Bella was on the ground looking like someone had slashed her with a knife over and over again."

Damon kneels next to her, "Why isn't she healing? This doesn't make sense."

Rebekah turns to Caroline, "Do you have any blood? Maybe that will help."

Caroline nods and takes off toward the kitchen. She grabs the 5 that she had left, not knowing how many Bella would need. She hands them to Elijah, "Is she going to be ok?"  
Elijah looks at her with a sadness she had never seen in him before, "I don't know."  
Bonnie walks over and studies the gashes and cuts, "I have never seen anything like this before. This has to be dark magic."

Kol looks up, "Klaus." They all look at him with confusion, "Get Klaus! He studied dark magic. If anyone knows anything, he would."

Rebekah pulls out her phone and calls him, "Klaus! You need to get to Caroline's house as fast as you possibly can! It's Bella…someone has done something to he-"

She breaks off when Bella lets out a blood curdling scream, "Make it stop! Make it stop hurting!" She starts to thrash around as people try to keep her from moving. She screams over and over again with tears falling faster and faster.

They hear a loud bang on the door, "Let me in!"

Caroline looks around, "I can't. Only my mom can."

Klaus roars with anger and anguish trying to get to his baby sister. Liz Forbes walks in, "What the hell is going on?"

Caroline runs to her, "You have to let Klaus in. He could be the only one that can help Bella."

Liz nods, seeing the urgency in her daughter's eyes, "Klaus come in."

He speeds in, nearly knocking down everyone down in the process. He kneels next to Bella as she screams, "Shhh, Isabella. Sweetheart, I'm here. You need to calm down."

She looks up at him with fear and pain, "It hurts, Nik. It hurts so much. Please, make it stop. Please."

Tears start to fall down his face when he hears her pleas, "I will. I will make it stop. Just listen to my voice. Really listen. Relax and listen. You are going to fall asleep, baby girl. All the pain you feel goes away while you are in my trance. Shhh. Sleep."

She slowly starts to relax and fall asleep. He takes a shaky breath and closes his eyes for a second. Elena whispers, "How did he do that?"

Kol looks over at her, "When she was younger and had night terrors he was the one that got her to sleep. It's like hypnosis. The way he uses a soothing voice had always calmed her."

Klaus opens his eyes and slowly stands up, "How did this happen?"

Jacob steps forward, "We were attacked by a witch on the road."

Klaus turns to him. "What witch?"

He shrugs, "I-I don't know. I was knocked out."

Klaus takes a deep breath to hold back his anger, "This is the darkest magic I have ever seen. Not many witches delve this deep. The only way to reverse it is to find the witch responsible or find someone more powerful."

Bonnie shakes her head, "I can't do this. I am not that powerful."

He growls, "I know that! I was talking about our mother. It is time to open up that coffin. Let's just hope she is in a giving mood."

Bonnie frowns, "How do we do that? Bella told us that we need to witches from the same line, but I don't have anyone else here."

Klaus raises a brow, "Luckily, I know another Bennett witch. Prepare to do the spell tomorrow morning." He looks down at Bella and his expression softens, "She is coming with me. I have a room set up for her. She needs to be somewhere secluded. Somewhere safe."

Kol growls, "And who says that is with you?"

Klaus picks him up by the neck, "If you haven't been paying attention let me alert you to some news, brother! I would never hurt her! She is the only one that I actually care about more than myself! I just have had a bad way of showing it." He puts Kol down, "She is the only thing that kept me living even when I didn't want to anymore."

Damon stands up, "Then we come with you." Klaus glares at him. "You aren't the only one that cares about her."

Klaus sighs, "Fine!"

* * *

Bella dreams of her human life. Of Daniel. And of Nik chasing her in the forest. Of Kol throwing her over his shoulder. Of Elijah and her sword fighting. Of her tickling little Henrik. Of Rebekah and her sneaking out to go swimming in the middle of the night. But the last dream was a nightmare as she watched her father stab her siblings then finally her. She screams.

Klaus was the first by her side while Rebekah, Elijah, Caroline, Damon and Koll stood just outside the open door way, "Shhh, baby girl. You are ok. Ever-"

She shakes her head, "No I don't want this! I don't want to be a vampire! I want to marry Daniel and have kids and grow old. Why did you do this to me, daddy? Why can't you ever let me be happy?"

Klaus tries to stop his tears, "She is hallucinating. It is getting worse. I can't help her. Not in this state. That witch needs to get here soon."

Bella gasps, "Nik? Is that you? Why are you hiding from me?" She giggles, "Oh, Nik! Come out and play."

Nik loses his composure and puts his forehead to hers, "Isabella. I am so sorry. This is all my fault. Please don't die on me. Not before I can make it up to you. Please."

Rebekah touches his back, "She isn't going to die, Nik. Remember what she says?"

Nik laughs lightly, "You can't kill me. I'm indestructible." He closes his eyes tightly.

Bella sighs, "Nik? Can you lay with me? I am scared. Get Kol too. You guys always make the nightmares go away."

Nik looks over at Kol who nods. Nik gently puts her in the middle of the bed and lies down on one side while Kol lies on the other. They both take her hands.

She smiles slightly, "We are going to be together forever. All of us. A family. Even when we get old and wrinkly have little grandbabies running around."

Rebekah breaks down sobbing and runs into Elijah's arms. He holds her tightly and closes the bedroom door. Rebekah looks up, "This isn't fair. How can this be happening to her?"

Caroline wipes away her tears, "That is the old her isn't it? The one that you lost. The one who had so much hope and love in her."

Elijah nods, "Yeah. That's our sweet Isabella."

Rebekah covers her face, "She lost so much more than the rest of us when we were turned."

Damon hugs Caroline who had begun sobbing, "I have never seen Klaus so vulnerable. He really does love her."

Elijah sighs heavily, "You don't understand. Klaus and Kol were her rocks and she was theirs. We were all close. We all had our own thing we did with each other. But those three were inseparable. Wherever one was, the other was close behind. That day when Klaus daggered Kol, she lost more than half of whom she was. She lost everything. She had no safe place to land. Without them Bella had lost all meaning. She didn't need to turn off her humanity because they were her humanity. For the first 100 years after that she was possibly as brutal as Klaus. She doesn't tell that part because she is ashamed. The next 100 years she spent trying to starve herself. Katerina and I were there to help her the best we could for 200 years. Either cleaning up her mess or force feeding her blood."

Damon frowns, "Who knew Katherine could care that much?"

Rebekah laughs, "Bella brings that out in everyone. You can't help but love her. No matter what she did that was wrong she is the best of us. I think that is why it was so hard on Nik. He wanted to be better for her and he couldn't. He did try. But his anger was out of control. He couldn't stop lashing out at her. She reminds him of how good he used to be."

* * *

Klaus listens to the group outside his door and sighs. He looks over at Bella who was curled into Kol's side, but she still kept a hand in his. He could smell the blood on the blankets and he hated it. Knowing that she wasn't healing was killing him.

He whispers, "That witch will pay for this, Isabella. I swear that to you."

Kol looks over at him, "Count me in. It hurts me to see her suffer like this."

Klaus closes his eyes, "I know. It hurts me, too. We need to get her blood."

Kol nods, "I will get it." He starts to get up but Bella latches on to him, not letting him go.

Klaus laughs quietly, "I will get it. Take this hand so she doesn't panic." Kol nods and reaches over with his other hand.

Klaus quietly opens the door and walks out. Elijah frowns, "Did something happen?"

Klaus shakes his head, "No, she just needs blood. She is losing way too much. Pretty soon she won't have any left."

Damon sighs, "I will get it." He holds up his hand when he sees Klaus's protest, "She needs you in there."

Klaus closes his mouth and nod, walking back into the room. Caroline smiles, "That was nice Damon."

Damon shrugs, "That was for her, not him."

He walks downstairs and into the kitchen when Bella starts screaming again. He leans against the counter and puts his hands over his face. It was hard for him to hear him in that much pain. It the little time that he had known her he had fallen in love. He didn't know how and he didn't really care. He would find a way to make her better. He walks towards the fridge and takes out the blood. He speeds upstairs and walks into her room.

She looks up with tears streaming down her face, "Damon? I can't do this anymore."

He looks over at Klaus and Kol who looked helpless. He sits on the side of the bed, "Yes, you can. Just a little longer, ok?"

Bella nods sadly, "Ok. Just a little longer." She breathes raggedly, "I…am…indestructible, right?"

He smiles, "Yes you are." He pushes her hair back and sees the pallor of her skin, "Here Drink this blood. It will make you feel a little better."

She sighs weakly, "Ok." She takes a small drink at first then starts to greedily drink. She finishes it and her eyes go black with veins popping out. Her fangs lower and she growls. She pushes him away from her and jumps off the bed. She speeds towards the door but is stopped by Klaus. She throws him off her, stronger than she used to be. She speeds out to the hallway and is tackled by Elijah and Rebekah. Kol speeds out behind her along with Damon and Klaus. She throws Rebekah and Elijah off of her and takes off before they can stop her.

Klaus sighs, "Well this is bad."


	12. Chapter 12: You Are Invited

Meanwhile, somewhere outside of Mystic Falls. The witch and Victoria meet up. Victoria looks at her expectantly, "Is it done?"

The witch sighs, "Not exactly."

Victoria growls, "What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

The witch raises a brow refusing to be scared, "I mean you didn't tell me the whole story. You didn't tell me she was an Original."

Victoria scoffs, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The witch rolls her eyes, "She is a vampire!"

Victoria laughs, "She is human. She is nothing like me."

The witch glares, "You have the last part right. She is a different kind. She is over a thousand years old. Stronger than you can ever be. The spell has put her in a lot of pain and makes it impossible to drink blood without her going completely rabid. Without blood she will hallucinate and suffer until she desiccates. But it will never kill her."

Victoria sighs, "Then we do this the hard way. My army of newborns is almost ready."

The witch tries to protest, but Victoria blurs away.

* * *

As soon as the Cullen's enter Mystic Falls, Alice is hit with a vision. She gasps, "That's impossible."

Jasper grabs her hand and calms her, "What is it?"

She relaxes slightly, "Bella is in danger. Victoria has done something to her and now she is…rabid."

Edward wrinkles his brow, confused, "Rabid? How? She is human?"

Alice shakes her head, "No she isn't. Everything she told us was a lie. She is a vampire. But she isn't like us. She is different."

Carlisle looks at her in the rearview mirror, "How is that possible?"

Alice shakes her head, "I don't know. All I know is she needs help." She closes her eyes, "A lot of help and we have to be careful."

* * *

Elena is woken up by a loud banging on her door. She walks out of her room rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Jeremy and Alaric walk out doing the same thing. They all walk slowly down to the front door. Elena peeks out and gasps. She opens the door, "Bella?"

Bella slumps over and Elena catches her, "I…don't…know how…I got…here."

Elena pulls her in and Jeremy helps her to the couch. He looks at her eyes, "Your eyes are black." He looks at her cuts, "These still look really bad."

Bella looks up with veins popping out, "I need…blood. Please."  
Alaric shakes his head, "We don't have any blood bags here."

She grins up at him wickedly, with her fangs lowering, "Your blood will do."

She jumps at him, but Jeremy interferes. She bites into his neck and drinks until all his blood is gone. Elena screams, "JEREMY! NO!" She rushes over and looks at his hand with a sigh of relief.

Bella is about to jump on Elena when something blocks her. She bangs against the wall, growling. Elena and Alaric turn towards the stairs and see Bonnie in one of Jeremy's shirts.

Elena frowns, "Bonnie? What are you doing here?"

Bonnie shakes her head, "Doesn't matter. Call the Originals. We are going to need help with her."

Ten minutes later, Rebekah, Klaus, Kol, Elijah, Caroline and Damon show up. They stare at Bella behind the invisible wall and look down at the still dead Jeremy.

Caroline's eyes widen, "What happened?"  
Alaric sighs, "Bella killed Jeremy. But he will be fine. What happened with her?"  
Klaus yells, "Can someone let me in?"

Elena hesitates, "I don't know." Klaus growls, "Oh yeah that's going to get you an invitation."  
Rebekah touches Elena's arm, "Please. I know he is a menace, but I know a way to get him locked out again."

Elena nods, "Ok Klaus come in."

He runs in and kneels on the other side of the wall. Bella looks up at him, "Klaus, please, I'm sorry. Just let me out. I can control myself. I promise. I didn't mean to hurt Jeremy."

Klaus shakes his head, "You can't trick me, Bella. You aren't in your right mind right now. We will let you out when you are better."

Someone knocks on the open door and steps in, "Hi. Sorry. Klaus, you called saying you needed me. I saw you run in here."

Bella backs towards the other side of the room fear in her eyes, "That's her! She attacked me! She did this to me!"

Klaus growls and pins her against the wall, "Why would you do this, Estelle?"

Estelle sighs, "I was hired by a vampire named Victoria. She wants that girl dead and she will do anything to do it."

Damon punches the invisible wall, "I guess wolf boy wasn't lying about her!" He turns around, "Well stop this! Take the spell off her."  
Estelle shakes her head, "I can't."

Damon speeds over, "Do it or I will be happy to kill you!"

Estelle rolls her eyes, "I can't because I don't know how! I only learned the spell. I never had to undo it. We need someone stronger."

Bonnie glares, "You really don't know the danger you have caused all of us! We are waking the Original witch. Now! Come with me."

She grabs Estelle's arm and they walk out the door before anyone can protest. Jeremy gasps and sits up looking around, "What just happened?"

Everyone sits down and watch Bella cower in the corner. Elena closes her eyes, "Bella killed you."

Jeremy looks over at Bella, who had tears streaming down her face and fear in her eyes hidden by the hunger. She looked so small. She didn't look like the Bella he had met. She was more vulnerable. He looks at the Original family and all of them looked drained and upset. He had never seen any of them so…broken.

He looks back at Bella and puts his hand on the wall, "I forgive you."

She closes her eyes, trying to get the veins to go away. She opens them again with a hunger deeper than before, "I want your blood. But I don't want to hurt you." She covers her face, "I am so confused."

Klaus laughs and everyone looks at him. He shrugs, "That just reminded me of when she was first turned. She said almost the same thing." He shakes his head, "I don't know why I found it funny…"

Rebekah smiles, "Maybe you are relieved that something is being done to help her."

* * *

The coffin lid is thrown open and Esther's eyes open. She looks up at them and smiles kindly. She sits up, "Thank you for waking me. Tell me, where am I?"  
Bonnie shakes her head, "We don't have time for this. Isabella needs your help. She is suffering."

Esther looks at her with concern, "My baby girl? Lead the way."

They hurry out of the house and into Bonnie's car. Esther gets in hesitantly, "This is an interesting contraption."

Bonnie and Estelle roll their eyes and speed off towards Elena's house. Bonnie parks crookedly on the side of the street and leads them inside. Everyone jumps up as Esther walks over. She waves her hand and the invisible wall disappears. Bella looks up at her mother.

Esther leans down, "Shhh my sweet baby girl. I will get rid of this horrible spell." She closes her eyes and they all watch as the cuts and gashes begin to close. Bella's eyes go back to normal and she retracts her fangs. They see that she still looks pale and is clearly exhausted.

Bella looks at her mother through tired eyes, "Mommy. I missed you."

She falls over and Esther catches her, "Shhh, baby girl. I'm here now. No one can make you suffer now."

She lays her down on the couch and looks at the room, "Who did this?"

They all look at Estelle. Esther turns to her and the room starts to get windy. Estelle screams as cuts appear on her skin, "Now get out of this house. And never touch my daughter again."

Esther turns back around, "My children. I am so glad to see you all together, but where is Finn?"

Klaus cautiously walks towards her, "He took off after I brought him home. He said he had someone to find."

Esther closes her eyes and murmurs something. She opens them again and grins, "He is on his way back. Now I will have all my children together again. We shall celebrate. Come young ones. Kol grab your sister."

They all nod and follow her out the door in a line.

Elena frowns, "Well that was strange."

Damon nods, "Well we know who is in charge now."

* * *

Caroline gets home around three in the morning and goes to unlock the door when she sees an envelope sticking out underneath her welcome mat. She picks it up and sees her name written on it. She opens it and reads the letter that was written in Tyler's hand.

When she gets to the last word she drops the paper, "He's gone."

* * *

Bella slowly wakes up in a strange bed in a strange room. She still felt exhausted from the day before. She sighs and heads to the bathroom. She takes one look at herself and gasps. She looked haggard. She jumps in the shower and hopes to wash the exhaustion away. She gets out and looks in the mirror again. Nope. Oh well. She gets dressed and heads downstairs.

She sees all her brothers and sister sitting in the living room of…Klaus's house. She frowns, "What is going on?"  
They all look up and grin at her. Kol is the first to pick her up and spin her around, "I am so glad you are up. We have been planning something very exciting."

Klaus is the next one up, "Yeah it's going to be an absolute ball." As he hugs her the rest of the room laughs.

She wrinkles her nose, "It's an actual ball isn't it?"  
Rebekah laughs, patting the seat next to her, "Yes it is, but it will be fun. We can all bring a special date."

Bella grins, "Who are you going to bring and do I know him?"

Rebekah sighs, "I was going to ask you about that. You know Matt?"  
Bella closes her eyes, pretending to think, "Hmmm, Is he the one that is related to Elena? Wait no! He is the one dating Caroline…Oh no he is…um…"

Rebekah hits her arm, "Stop that! When I first met him I thought he was kinda cute and I wanted ask him. Unless you have a problem with that."

Bella laughs, "You should ask him. We went on like one date and decided to be friends. He is great for you." She looks at Kol, "And who are you going to ask?"  
Kol rolls his eyes, "Who do you think, smart ass?"  
She grins and starts singing, "Kol and Elena sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes marriage the-"

She breaks off when he throws a pillow at her. They all laugh. She turns to Klaus, "And what about you, Klaus? Do you have any-" Her phone rings and she pauses, "Hello? Who is this?"

Her eyes widen and her skin turns ashen when she hears the sweet voice, "Hi, Bella. It's Alice. I need to talk to you."

She lets out a shaky breathe, "Alice? What are you doing here? Is your whole family with you?"

Alice smiles, "Of course silly. Please, come. I had a vision. A bad one. About you."

Bella rolls her eyes, "When do you ever have good ones for me?" She looks at her watch, "Where are you?"

Alice grins triumphantly, "Some place called the Mystic Grill."  
Bella nods, "I will be there in 5 minutes." She hangs up and sighs, "Looks like the Cullen's have finally made it to town. I will be back later. I have to deal with this."

Kol stands up, "Are you sure? You are still recovering. Yo-"

She glares at him, "I am fine, Kol. The faster I get them out of town the better." With that she leaves.

* * *

Damon watches Bella walk into the Grill and is about to walk over to her when she sits with a group of strangers. He sits down and listens to their conversation.

Carlisle smiles at Bella, "Hello, Bella. You never did say goodbye to us."

Esme reaches out touches her hand, "Yes, dear. We were hurt by your sudden departure."

Bella looks down, "Sorry. I had some…family business to take care of. It was urgent I didn't have the time."

Edward raises a brow, "You had time to break up with me."

She frowned at the bitterness is his tone, "Well I couldn't leave without telling you and I couldn't make you think that I loved you when I didn't."  
Edward scoffs, "Well that's good. Because I never loved you either."

Alice interrupted, "We know your little secret Isabella Swan-if that's even your real name."

Bella's eyes widen, "Isabella is my real name, but Swan isn't my last name. How did you find out?"  
Alice smiles, "I can see the future remember? I saw you in vampire mode. It was very exhilarating. Are you feeling better?" She laughs at Bella's confused look, "From Victoria's attack. I saw it happen. I am so very sorry we were too late to stop it."

Bella nods, "Oh yes. I am better, but still recovering a bit. I feel rather…exhausted."

Rosalie smirks, "You look it."

Bella frowns, "Um, thanks?"

Emmett shakes his head, "Ignore her. She is just grumpy because we had to leave Forks."

Rosalie rolls her eyes, "No I'm 'grumpy' because we are stuck dealing with her crap again. I thought we were finally done with this."  
Bella laughs, "Still dislike me for no reason, glad some things haven't changed." She looks over at Alice, "So why did you want me to come down here?"  
Alice looks down, "Something bad is coming. I can feel it. And I know that it is centered on you and your family." She looks up again, "Bella, I think you die. I see you lying on the ground with lines that look like veins all over your body. And you are surrounded by a blond guy, a blond girl, a brunette guy who looks a lot like you, and 2 other dark haired guys. Then I see the guy who is listening to us by the bar run up with some 3 girls and 2 guys. That guy falls to the ground and the broody one that come with him does too. Oh and then the blonde girl. You all die."

The blood in Bella's face drains leaving her paler than her companions, "Do you see who does this?"

Alice shakes her head, "No, but I know that you were the sacrifice that killed the rest…Like you were all linked or something." She rubs her head, "Oh and you went in willingly. You told whoever it was that you would sacrifice yourself so that all vampires on Earth will die. You sounded like you were in a trance though."

Bella shakes her head and gets up, "No. It can't be. She wouldn't do this to us." She looks over at Damon who has an alarmed look on his face, "It's not her."

With that she runs out the door and to her car. Before she can open the door Damon spins her around and puts both hands on her cheeks, "We will find out who it is, Bella. We are not going to let it happen." He hugs her, "It might not be her."

She looks up at his piercing blue eyes, "What if it is? What if it turns out that both my parents want to kill me?"

He puts his forehead on hers, "Then we will deal with that when we have to. Until then, let's just breathe. You need to relax. Just until you are in full health."

She puts her arms around his neck and smiles, "What do you suggest?"

He smirks, "A little alone time with me always cheers the girls up."

Bella pulls his hair lightly, "Be careful what you say, Salvatore. I have been known to have quite the temper."

Damon feigns shock, "Sweet Isabella Mikaelson? A temper? Never."  
She laughs and pulls him in for a kiss, "How about we go to your place and we test that theory out?"

He grins and opens her car door, "Lead the way."

* * *

Bella stretches next to Damon and feels him move closer to her. She smiles as his bare chest touches her bare back. Loving the feeling of electricity running up and down her spine. She turns over and touches his cheek, kissing him. He grabs her shoulders pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. She moans against his mouth and he rolls on top of her. He starts kissing her neck and going lower and lower making her sigh in anticipation when her phone rings.

He groans, "Please ignore that."

She smiles at him, "You don't have to ask me twice." He grins and kisses her mouth again and then growls as her phone starts ringing again. She sighs, "It appears they won't stop."

She sits up and reaches for her phone. She snaps into the receiver, "What?"  
Kol frowns, "Wow. Someone is in a bad mood."

She rolls her eyes, "Not a bad mood…just busy." When she is answered with silence, she groans, "What do you want, Kol?"  
Kol sighs, "You need to get home. Mother has this whole thing planned about invitations. Apparently she needs all her kids to tell her who their date is and blah blah blah."

Bella wrinkles her nose, "Fine. I will be home in 10 minutes."

Kol raises a brow suspiciously, "Why 10? The Grill is only 5 minutes away." He growls, "Bells, where are you? Why has it taken you so long to get home?"

She grits her teeth, "Don't worry about it. I'll be home soon so shut up."

She hangs up the phone and frowns at Damon, "I have to go. Mother is being a pain in my ass." She pauses, "That still doesn't mean she is going to kill us."

Damon puts his hands up, "Did I say anything? No." He smirks and kisses her, "Go before Kol burst through the door and decides to kill me."  
Bella laughs pulling him in for another kiss, "I wouldn't let him do that, love. Don't worry."

He raises a brow, "Love? You are getting your origins back, mate."

Bella pushes him down and straddles him, "Maybe I will let him." She kisses him, "I have to go." Kisses him again, "I'm leaving." One last kiss, "Bye."

She gets up and quickly gets dressed. She was about to run out the door when he spins her around and kisses her more passionately, "Come back whenever you want. My door is always open." She laughs as she kisses him once more and leaves.

* * *

Damon showers and gets dressed. He walks out to his car and sees Stefan. He slowly approaches his brother, "What seems to be the problem, brother? Is your hair not doing what you want it to do?"

Stefan rolls his eyes, "Shut up. No I just… the coffin is open."

Damon laughs, "Oh yeah we opened it last night. Bella was having some issues and needed her mother. Sorry we forgot to tell you."

Stefan looks down, defeated, "So it wasn't the key to Klaus's demise."

Damon frowns and he looks in Stefan's eyes, "You flipped your humanity switch back on. When did this happen?"

Stefan looks up sadly, "When Klaus let me go. I just focused on my hatred of him."

Damon shakes his head, "Figures." He hesitates for a second, "She may be the key, but there is a problem."

Stefan's face lightens, "How could there be a problem?"

Damon sighs, "In the process she will kill the rest of the Originals." Stefan stares at him blankly, "If she kills Bella, we die too."

Stefan gasps, taken aback, "What?"

Damon groans, "She created Katherine, Katherine created us, my blood created Caroline. When the Original who makes your line dies…"

Stefan growls, "Why can't anything be easy?"  
Damon slaps his brother on the back, "Because we are vampires, brother. Nothing comes easy with eternity." He sighs, "So are you going to help me stop this or not?"  
Stefan begrudgingly agrees, "I guess I have no choice."

* * *

Klaus looks at the door in front of him and sets the package in front of it. He knew it was the coward's way but he didn't think he could face her. He didn't think he could take her rejection. He sighs and knocks on the door and speeds away. He stops in a place where she won't be able to see him. Caroline opens her doors and frowns when she doesn't see anyone. She is about to close the door when she sees the package. She slowly picks it up and looks around again. She closes the door and looks at the card.

She reads out loud, "Please join the Mikaelson family this evening at seven o' clock for dancing, cocktails and celebrations." She turns the card over, "Save me a dance. Fondly, Klaus."

She gasps. Klaus is inviting her to be his…date. She had so many mixed feelings. On one hand he was the one who had been terrorizing her and her friends. On the other she had seen a side of him that she never imagined. She had felt the attraction. She was excited. She couldn't believe it. How could she be excited when she was with Tyler? But Tyler had abandoned her. She didn't know what to feel. She goes to her bedroom and opens the box. She pulls out the prettiest gown she had ever seen. She sighs as she holds it against her.

* * *

Bella knocks on Damon's door an hour later. Damon grins when he sees her, "Taking me up on that offer?"

She shakes her head, "Sadly no. So my mother is throwing this stupid ball tonight and I was wondering if you would be my date." She hands him the invitation.

He frowns at it, "A ball? Really?"  
She puts her hands up defensively, "Hey, I hate it as much as you do, but misery loves company." She pouts, "Please go with me. I will go crazy if I have to be there alone."

He laughs at her pleas, "Fine! But I better get something out of this."

She kisses him, "How is that?"

He shakes his head, "Not gonna cut it." She kisses him longer, "Come on, Mikaelson, you can do better than that." She grabs the front of his shirt and kisses him so passionately, he felt his knees go week. He moans when she puts her hands under his shirt and touches him everywhere. She pulls back and grins. He sighs, "Damn, you really don't want to go to this thing alone. I will go happily."

She grins, "Great. I will see you there. Wear a tux."

Before he can protest she takes off and he scratches the back of his head. She was a mystery. He goes to his room and searches for his tux.

* * *

Rebekah knocks on Matt's door and waits anxiously. He answers it and crosses his arms, "Rebekah? What are you doing here?"  
She sighs nervously, "Ok, so I know you totally have the hots for Bella, but since she is with Damon I was wondering if you would settle for someone who is genetically close to her."

Matt frowns, "What are you talking about?"  
She holds out the invitation, "Will you got to this ball with me?"

He takes it and opens it, reading what it says. He looks up and shrugs, "Sure." She smiles and turns to leave when he clears his throat, "For the record, you no one could settle for you." She looks down before he continues, "Anyone would be lucky to be with you."

She looks up, giddy, "Thanks. I will see you at 7."

She walks away feeling better about herself than ever before.

* * *

Kol knocks on Elena's door and she jumps into his arms, kissing him deeply. She pulls back, "I have missed you. It feels like forever since I have seen you without anything crazy happening."

Kol laughs, "The life of the Milaelson's is always crazy. You are the one who has an out."

She shakes her up, "I would never take it." She sighs as he grins, "I like Bella way too much for that."

He fakes hurt, "I see how it is. Not even staying for me."

She considers, "I guess I like you too."

He gently pulls her hair, "If you keep saying things like that I will ask someone else to be my date for this ball."

She perks up, "Ball? As in gorgeous dresses? I'm sorry." She kisses him, "I do like you." She kisses him again, "I really do."

He laughs, "You are so lucky I like you." He clears his throat and takes her hand in his, "Elena Gilbert, will you go to the ball with me?" He bows and kisses her hand.

She giggles and nod, "Yes I would love to go with you."

He hands her the invitation and tells her he will send a limo for her at 7.


	13. Chapter 13: In A Trance

Bella walks down the stairs in her gown and all her brothers stood back in awe. She was wearing a dark purple strapless floor length chiffon dress with rhinestones lining the top half of the bodice. Her hair is half up with loose spiral curls and beaded clips throughout.

Kol grins, "You look amazing, little sister."

She smiles, "Awe, shucks, this ol' thing. I just threw it on."

Klaus laughs, "Isabella, my sweet sister, I have missed your wise remarks."

She reaches out for Klaus's hand, "And I have missed you."

The doorbell rings and Esther runs down looking excited, "Our guests are here. Everyone stand together and greet them properly."

They all nod as a servant opens the door. People come pouring in and drinks are distributed Rebekah smiles as Matt walks in, "There's my hot date. She walks the rest of the way down the stairs and greets him, "Hello, Matt. And welcome to the Mikaelson's lovely home." She lowers her voice, "Sorry but my mother insists that I introduce my date to her."

Matt smiles, "First of all, you look beautiful. Secondly, this house is lovely. And I would love to meet your mother."

Rebekah blushes and leads him to where her mother stands. Bella watches Matt look at Rebekah and is relieved. She knew she made the right call for her, but now she knew it was the right one for him, as well. Watches as Elena walks in with Damon…and Stefan? That was strange. Kol walks over to her and she instantly brightens up. He takes her hand and leads her to their mother. She watches as Stefan looks at them with jealousy and sadness. She then looks at Damon and slowly starts to walk towards him. He looks over at her and freezes, seeing nothing but her and her beauty.

She grins at him, "Hey, handsome. You clean up well."

Damon kisses her and grins, dazzled, "I am speechless. And that never happens. But you are more than beautiful."

She takes his arm, "Keep saying things like that and you might just get lucky tonight." He laughs as she takes him over to Esther, "Mother, this is Damon, my very appealing date. Damon this is Esther, my mother."

Esther smiles down at him, "My, my you are handsome. My Isabella is lucky to have found you."

Damon smiles politely, "I think I am the lucky on, Mrs. Mikaelson." He takes her hand and kisses it, "And it has been a pleasure to meet you."

Bella raises her brow, impressed, "You are surprisingly great with parents."

He laughs, "No one can resist Damon Salvatore."

Bella rolls her eyes and stops as she sees Klaus walking towards the door, "Wait. I want to see who this is."

She peers around the corner as she sees Klaus walk up to…Caroline? Did she miss something? Since when are those two together? Where was Tyler? She had so many questions that she knew she would be unable to get answered at the moment. She looks over at Damon who looks just as confused. Bella watches Klaus kiss Caroline's hand.

Damon pulls her hand, "Come on. We will talk to them later. Let's dance."

She grins, "Alright, Mr. Salvatore. I hope you know this one."

They walk out and stand in a line next to their dance partners. They cross their arms and begin the dance. Bella listens to Klaus and Caroline.

Klaus grins, "You look ravishing in that dress."

Caroline rolls her eyes, pretending she didn't like to be this close to him, "It was last minute. I dint have time to shop."  
Klaus laughs, "Don't act like you aren't enjoying this, love."

Caroline tilts her head, "It's your fault that Tyler left. Why would I enjoy any second of time with you?"  
Bella furrows her brows and continues to listen as Klaus says, "I know I have made a lot of mistakes, but Tyler left because of his own cowardice. He couldn't face you. I am sorry for the small part I had in that, but you can't blame me for all of it. If you did you wouldn't be here."

Caroline tries to hide the smile as they switch partners. She was now dancing with Kol. She smiles, "How is the dance with Elena?"  
Kol ignores her, "What if she goes back to him?"  
Bella frowns and looks over to see Elena dancing with Stefan. Uh oh. She looks back at Kol, "Do you trust her, brother?" He nods, "Then don't worry about it. What you two have is real. I promise."

Esther comes up to her and whispers something only she can hear. Bella nods and kisses his cheek, "I will be right back."

Kol frowns at her robotic tone and watches her as she walks over to Elena and whispers something in her ear. Elena looks at her quizzically then nods and follows. Damon, Stefan and Kol look up as they ascend the stairs. Damon looks at Kol, "What is going on?"

Kol shrugs, "I don't know but I have a bad feeling."

* * *

Bella opens the door to her mother's room and ushers Elena in. Esther sits on a couch and burns some spelled sage. Elena frowns and Bella smiles reassuringly. Elena sits down and Esther smiles, "Hello, Elena. You are probably wondering why Bella brought you up here." Elena nods, "I know that my family has caused some issues for you. Bella told me about Klaus breaking the curse by killing your Aunt. I truly am sorry about that."

Elena sighs, "Thank you."

Esther nods kindly, "But to the point. My children are not supposed to be here. With your help, I can get rid of them."

Elena gasps and shakes her head, "But you can't. Some of them are my friends." She turns to Bella who is staring off into space, "Bella you don't want this."  
Bella looks down at her with a blank look and smiles, "Vampires cause evil, Elena. We are a lot of the reason for the world's suffering."  
Elena looks back at Esther horrified, "What have you done to her?"  
Esther's smiles still, "I just opened her eyes. My sweet Isabella has always been the best of them but she has caused her own bloodbath. That is why she must die with the rest of them. What I created was an abomination. And I am the one who must take care of my mistake."

Elena frowns, "Why do you need me?"  
Bella pulls out a sharp letter opener, "We need your blood. It will link me and my siblings together. That way when I sacrifice myself and die, they will all die."

Elena gasps with shock, "But you saved her. Why would you save her just to kill her?"  
Esther laughs, "I don't like to see my children suffer, Elena. And she was easier to…convince to be on my side."

Elena shakes her head, "I won't do it. You can't make me."

Esther looks at Bella and nods. Bella walks around to Elena and grabs her, making it impossible for her to struggle. She takes the sharp letter opener and cut Elena's wrist letting the blood drop in a cup as Elena cries out in pain.

Esther looks at Bella, "Don't let her leave and listen closely." She hands Bella the glass of champagne already spelled, "Drink this when you hear the claps."

Bella nods absently and ties Elena down. Esther walks out and makes her toast.

Elena looks at Bella, "Please, Bella you don't want this. Don't do this. Please, snap out of it."  
Bella smiles warmly at her, "I am doing this for you, Elena. Vampires have caused you too much pain already. I am so sorry in the part me and my family have played."

Before Elena could protest they hear the claps and Bella drinks her champagne. She drops the glass and shakes her head, her eyes becoming clear again, "Oh my God! Elena! Who did this?"

She starts to untie Elena as Elena says, "You did. You don't remember."  
Bella gives her a confused look, "Why would I do this?" She looks at Elena's wrist, "You're bleeding." Bella rips off a piece of her dress and wraps it around Elena's wrist.

Elena grabs Bella's hand, "Come on. We have to tell the others. I guess I have to tell you too."

Bella nods and they race down the back stairs. Elena turns to her, "Wait here. I will get the others, ok?"  
Bella agrees and Elena calmly walks out to the dance floor. Kol runs up to her and hugs her, "I was so worried. Are you ok?"  
Elena just grabs his hand, "I will explain when we get everyone."

Klaus, Caroline, Elijah, Damon, Stefan, Rebekah, and Matt all agree to follow her. She walks into the kitchen and looks around, "Where the hell is she?"  
Damon frowns, "Who? And what happened to your wrist?"  
Elena starts to get frantic, "Bella! She isn't here. I told her to wait for me."  
Bella taps her shoulder, "Calm down. I am right here. The waiter just had a question for me." She looks down at her dress, "Do you know where this blood stain came from?"  
Elena sighs, "Bella, please tell m-"

The waiter walks over, "One more question. When are we supposed to clean up?"  
Bella smiles, "Around 11. Or you can come back tomorrow if you are tired." He smiles and walks away. She looks at Elena, "God, Elena! You really think I am going to randomly go on a killing spree in the middle of a party? You are acting weird. But I guess it makes sense. If I were tied up, I would act weird too."

Kol turns to Elena, "You were tied up? What happened?"

Elena stares at Bella as she says the next part, "Bella cut my wrist and tied me up."

Bella's eyes widen and everyone turns to her. She shakes her head, "No I didn't. I don't even know how I got upstairs. I just remember seeing you tied to a chair."

Damon puts his hand through his hair, "Alice's vision."

Bella gasps, "No. It can't be. She wouldn't." She starts to hyperventilate and Damon holds her to him, "So it's true? We are all gonna die."

Elijah holds up his hand, "Ok everyone needs to slow down and start at the beginning."

* * *

Bella lies sleepless in bed next to Damon. Out of all the horrible things she has done this was the worse. Even though she had no control she would be the reason that everyone she loves will die. It will be her fault. She gets up slowly trying not to wake Damon and looks at the ring on her finger. She could just end it now. She shakes her eyes. No. That would kill Damon and Stefan and Caroline and Katherine. Plus she was linked to her family. She wasn't thinking straight. Then a voice in her head says, "Aren't you? You only cause pain. Wouldn't the world be better without you in it?"

She looks around and sighs. The voice was right her death would help the rest of them. Without her, they wouldn't have to worry about all dying. She furrows her brows, thinking she is forgetting something. No, she had to die. She had to die. She keeps thinking that over and over again. She takes the ring off her finger and sets it on the nightstand. She walks outside and jumps onto the roof to watch the sun come up. She feels the heat on her skin and closes her eyes as she feels the burn.

* * *

Damon wakes up and looks around for Bella. He sits up and looks over at the night stand. He frowns when he sees something glint in the sunlight. He walks over to it and picks up the ring. He frowns. Trying to figure out where he had seen it. He opens his eyes in realization. This was Bella's daylight ring. He runs outside and looks around frantically. He hears her sobs and looks up on the roof. He speeds up and quickly pulls her down and into the house. He looks at her burnt skin.

He runs into the kitchen and grabs a couple of blood bags. He races back and practically pours one don her throat. She starts to heal and her growls, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Bella shakes her head, "I don't know anymore, Damon. I think I am going crazy. Please, help me. I keep hearing voices in my head." She starts to sob, "I can't take it anymore. Make it stop."

Damon wipes away her tears with his thumb, "Shhh, baby, we will fix this."

She kisses him, "You have to lock me up, Damon. It's the only way." He starts to protest but she kisses him again, "Please. I don't want my family to die because of me." She touches his face, "I don't want you to die."

He nods, "Ok, Bella. We are going to find a way to stop this. I swear that to you."


	14. Chapter 14: Insane

Kol wakes up in pain. He looks around trying to figure out what was causing this. He looks down at his arm and his eyes widen as the burn spreads. He starts yelling in pain and Elena wakes up. She runs over to him and grabs his arm.

She looks into his eyes, "What is going on?"

He shakes his head, "I don't know."

They hear more screams throughout the house. They watch as the burn starts to spread all over his body. She looks at him helplessly, not knowing what to do. The room was dark and he was wearing his daylight ring. None of this made sense. Suddenly the cries stopped.

Kol looks up weakly, "It stopped." They watch as the burns start to go away. "I need blood to heal completely."

Elena offers her arm, "Drink mine." He shakes his head but she finds something and cuts her hand, "I trust you Kol. Just drink what you need to heal you."

Kol finally gives in and takes her hand. She closes her eyes as he moans into her hand. She kneels to the ground next to him and he stops. He sits up and touches her cheek, "You really are amazing."

She grins and kisses the inside of his hand, "So are you." She sobers, "What the hell just happened?" Tears start to fall down her face as she looks at him, "I was so scared. I thought I would lose you."

He pulls her into a hug, "No, baby, I'm not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever."

She looks up and kisses him, "You better not."

He pulls her up and they hurriedly get dressed, "We have to find out what happened."

* * *

Bella sits in the cellar locked up. She was still hearing the voice telling her that she had fix the vampire problem. Why was this happening to her? Could her mother really be behind it? She had thought that bringing Esther back would reunite the family and make everything better.

"But I am trying to make everything better."

Bella looks up and sees her mother. She covers her face, "No you aren't really here."

Esther sits next to her on the cot, "I am here. This is no illusion, my dear Isabella."

Bella looks at her with sorrow, "Why me?"

Esther touches her hair, "Originally it was going to be Finn, but he found Sage and refused. I couldn't get into his head as easily as you. You are blinded by your love for your family. No matter what they do to hurt you, you always come back to them. Your love is your weakness."

Bella shakes her head, "Love is strength. It opens up the world to more possibilities. Your hatred for your children is the weakness. You will see."

Esther smiles at her warmly, "I do not hate you, I just hate what you have become. You will understand."

Bella yells, "You made us this way! This is your fault! All your fault! You can't blame us for your mistakes! The blood we shed is on your hands too!"

Esther sighs, "I do not blame you for my mistake. I blame you for all the death you have caused and the heartache you have brought to me."

Bella cries out as she disappears, "You did this to us! It was you!"

* * *

Damon had called the Mikaelson's after locking Bella up. He didn't know what else to do. She was losing it. He could still hear her telling the voices to stop. He takes a deep breath and sits back on the couch. This couldn't be happening. He just wanted one normal day. Well normal enough for a vampire. And he wanted to spend it with her. She deserved a normal day. He looks up when the door open and Elena walks in with Kol, Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. Why wasn't Finn ever with them? He must not care.

Kol looks around, "Where is she?"

Damon frowns, "She told me to lock her up. She keeps-"

He stops when he hears her yelling, "You made us this way! This is your fault! All your fault! You can't blame us for your mistakes! The blood we shed is on your hands too!"

Klaus puts his hand through his hair, "She is tormenting her. Why her?"

Rebekah shrugs, "Maybe because she is the youngest."

Elena shakes her head, "Who knows but we have to figure this out before she kills herself…and the rest of you."

Stefan walks in and stops, "What is going on in here?"

Damon smirks, "Just preparing for the death of all vampires, you know the usual."

Stefan frowns, "You lost me. Why is Klaus here?"

Klaus glares, "Because this concerns my family. And at the moment we are in a truce."

Kol gives him a questioning look, but ignores it, "This is not helping. I can't listen to her suffer anymore. We need a plan to stop this and unlink us."

Elena puts her arm around his waist to comfort him and Stefan glares. Elena sighs, "We can call Bonnie. She is the only one that I know that might be able to help us."

Damon agrees, "Fine. In the meantime, what do we do about Bella?"

Stefan leans against the wall, "We can always drain her of blood or put her out of her misery."

Damon growls, "First off, No. Second, she dies you die. Finally, just because you decide to be pathetic doesn't mean the rest of us are going to."

Stefan rolls his eyes and walks away. Kol looks at Elena, "You used to date that guy?"  
Elena watches Stefan leave, "He used to be the good one. Now it seems Damon and him have switched personalities."

Damon laughs, "I am nowhere near good, honey."

Elijah responds calmly, "Not that this isn't fun to listen to, but my baby sister is down there suffering. I would love to get back to her and how we can help her."

Rebekah agrees, "Do you think Bonnie can stop what is happening to her, too?"  
Elena shrugs, "I don't know. Let me call her."

Elena leaves the room and there is a knock on the door. Damon frowns and gets up, "What are you doing here?"  
Alice smiles sweetly, "We came to help Bella. She seems to be in a bad place."

Damon raises a brow, "And how do you know this?"  
Edward glares at him, "She can see the future. You want to know what she has seen. So let us in."

Damon steps aside and bows sarcastically. They walk into the room and everyone sits looking at each other awkwardly. Carlisle finally speaks up, "Listen, we get that this is awkward but Bella was like family to us. We just want to help her be ok."

Kol looks around, "I guess we should take all the help that we get. What was your vision?"  
Alice smiles, "Just that whatever is going to happen will be tonight when the moon is at its highest point. And that cellar you have her in won't hold her. No matter what you do. If you want to stop this you have to bring the fight to the location of this old looking house." She pulls out a drawing.

Damon looks at it, "The old witch house? I guess that makes sense. The more power she has the better right?"

Elena walks back in, "Bonnie will be here…" She looks up and sees the Cullen's. "Um, hi?"

Damon smirks, "These are the Cullen's. They are going to help us with Bella."

Elena sits next to Kol, "Oh. So do you have a plan?"

* * *

Bella wakes up and looks towards the door. There stands Esther with the door wide open behind her. Bella frowns, "Why are you here?"  
Esther smiles, "Its time, my darling Isabella."

Bella shakes her head, "No." She fought hard against herself not to move. She was determined to prove her mother wrong. Love was strength. That is what was repeating in her head over and over again. Love is strength.

For the first time Esther falters, "What? You must do as I say."

Bella clenches her fist and closes her eyes, "NO! The love I have for my family is strength. The love I have for the people of this town is strength. You were wrong. You will always be wrong. I am strong."

Esther glares and walks out to grab something. When she comes back in she has Bonnie by the hair, "If you don't do as I say, I will kill this girl."

Bonnie yells and Bella widens her eyes, "You claim that we are the monsters. But it is you. Bonnie is a witch. You would never kill her."  
Esther considers this, "You are right. You are very smart indeed. But I do have 2 vampires and a doppelganger that I know you love at my disposal. They are already at the old witch house. I won't hesitate to kill them."

Bella shakes her head, "If you kill me and my siblings the 2 vampires will die anyway and you would never kill Elena. She is the one you claim to be doing this for. Why would you kill her?"

Esther shrugs, "She is a problem. If I can't get you to come and die, Klaus will continue to make his hybrids. Get rid of her then problem solved."

Bella frowns, "How do I know you aren't lying?"

Esther tilts her head to the side, "Are you really willing to take that chance?"

Bella looks down sadly, "No. I will come with you."


	15. Chapter 15: I Will Never Forgive You

**a/n: Sorry it took me so long to update. I have been going through a lot and also trying to find a second job. I will try to update more often. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Keep reading and enjoying and reviewing. :))))**

**XOXO**

* * *

Elena wakes in a strange place trying to remember what had happened. She looks around a sees Caroline and Damon lying on the ground, unmoving. How could this be? Were they dead? She tries to move, but is shocked to find herself bound to the chair she was sitting on.

She looks around frantically, "Hello? Is anyone there?" She looks back at Caroline and Damon, "Damon? Caroline? Please, wake up."

The two vampires lie still. Elena felt the tears fall down her face at the thought of them being dead. She closes her eyes trying to think back. What had happened? She was leaving the Salvatore house. She had gotten into her car when someone popped up in the back seat and grabbed her. That was all she remembered before everything went black.

Damon groans and slowly sits up, "What the hell is going on here?"

Elena sighs with relief, "You aren't dead. You have no idea how happy that makes me. Check Care."

Damon reaches over and rolls her over. She looked fine. He couldn't really check her pulse. He checks her chest for any evidence of a stake mark. Caroline gasps and sits up, holding her neck, "I will never get used to that."

Elena smiles but it fades quickly, "We need to figure out what is going on. And someone needs to untie me!"

Esther walks in, "That won't be necessary. Bella came. She will do as we planned and you won't have to die." She looks at Caroline and Damon, "Well, you will. But the world will be a better place without you in it."

Damon growls, "She only came because you put her under a spell. She would never let you kill her family."

Esther smiles, "She came of her own freewill." She looks at Elena as they all gasp, "To save you, Elena. You should be honored to have someone so willing to die for you."

Elena sits back shaking her head, "No. I can't let her die. I can't let them all die for me."

Esther laughs lightly, "Oh, sweetie. I was never really going to kill you. I just had to make Bella believe that I would. That's why I had to drag you all down here."

Bella speeds in and pushes her mother against the wall. She quickly unties Elena, "Go!" Before Elena could protest Bella looks at Damon, "Please, get her out of here."

Damon nods and speeds out holding a protesting Elena. Caroline looks at her one last time and speeds out. Bella watches as her mother gets up.

Esther slowly walks towards her, "What do you think you are doing?"

Bella growls as her mother gets closer, "I am doing what needs to be done for this family and for the people in this town. Yes, some things that we have done are bad, but we have also brought good things. I don't want to be a vampire. I never did. You are the one that cursed me with this. You are the one that took my human life away from me. But I refuse to be the victim. Not anymore."

She speeds to her mother and thrusts her hand into her chest. Esther gasps, "Isabella, no. I am your mother. You can't do this."

Bella lets the tears fall, "You stopped being my mother when you killed me 1000 years ago." She yanks out her mother's heart and falls to her knees. Esther falls to the ground, motionless.

Kol speeds in and freezes at the scene before him. He looks at the heart in his sister's hand, "Bells, sweetie. We need to get out of here. I know this has been a long day…"

Bella looks up at him with so many emotions running over her face, "Why does it have to be this way?"

Kol kneels down next to her, "I don't know. I wish I could do something to change this."

Bella slowly stands up, "But there isn't. We are stuck with the choices they made for us. And we are stuck with them hating us for it."

He touches her cheek, "I am so sorry you had to be the one to do this. I know how much you loved her."

Bella shrugs, "Doesn't matter anymore. Nothing really matters. At least not to vampires."

Kol closes his eyes, "You matter. The lives you saved today matter."

Bella laughs bitterly, "The vampire lives. What about the human lives that they take? I know I don't agree with her when it comes to killing all vampires, but she has a point. We do cause havoc on the lives around us. Whether we want to or not. There is no right or wrong solution to this, Kol."

He looks down, "I know. But we can't save everyone. We are what we are. We didn't choose this. Some of them didn't choose this. We just have to make the most of it. This is the life that we have to live."

Bella looks up at him, "There are a lot of things that we have to do, doesn't mean we need to."

Kol frowns, "What do you mean?"

Bella shrugs, "I don't know. Let's just get the hell out of here. I don't want to look at her anymore."

Kol nods and they walk out the door hand in hand. Bella looks up at all the people waiting for them. Her siblings Rebekah, Elijah, Finn and Klaus were all huddled close together waiting for something she didn't know of. Damon, Caroline, Stefan, Elena and Bonnie were standing on the other side of them with worried expressions. The Cullen's were standing a little further back, waiting for their orders. Bella looks down at the heart she still held in her hands and drops it. She looks at the faces staring back at her and loses the battle she has been fighting inside herself. She breaks down in tears and horrible sobs that make it hard for her to breath. Kol tries to hug her, but she pushes him away.

Klaus walks over, "Is it finished then?"

Bella looks up with anger in her eyes, "Is that all you can say? Is that all you care about? I killed my mother." She laughs wickedly, "But of course that wouldn't care about that. Since you were the one to kill her first."

Everyone around them gasp. Rebekah falls back a step, "No. That's impossible."

Bella looks over at her sister, "It's true. I'm surprised you guys didn't know."

Klaus glares at her, "Why are you telling them this? Aren't we past this pettiness?"

Bella shakes her head, "We will never be past this Klaus. No matter how many times I am blinded by my love there will always be something that opens my eyes. The memory of my fiancé. The memory of you daggering my siblings. The memory of you threatening my life. The memory of watching you thrust your hand into our mother's chest and pulling her heart out." She watches the confusion cross his face, "You didn't realize I was there, but I was. I didn't say anything. I don't know why. Maybe I was in shock. Who knows? But I am tired of covering things up for you. I am tired of all the secrets."

Klaus shakes his head, "I thought you had forgiven me. And didn't you just do the same thing?"

Bella slaps him, "I did what I had to do to save the people I love. You did it out of anger over a curse that you deserved." She steps closer to him, "I will never forgive you. You have hurt me too much for that. You have taken everything from me. I am done."

She speeds off, leaving behind the stunned looks of her friends and family.

* * *

Elena was about to leave the Salvatore house when she is cornered by Stefan. She had come over here to see if Bella would arrive, but after waiting two hours she had given up. She was reaching for the door when Stefan grabs her hand and turns her around.

He looks in her eyes, "Elena, we need to talk."

Elena tilts her head, "Why? I don't have anything to say to you Stefan."

Stefan shakes his head, "That can't be true. You love me. I know you do. Why can't you admit it?"

Elena laughs, "I don't love you anymore. I love Kol. When you were busy being the jackass I moved on. You can't blame me for that."

Stefan runs his hands through his hair, "Our love was epic, Elena. You would never give up on us. You are using Kol as a distraction. So you don't have to see it." He pushes a stray hair behind her ear, "But you love me. You will always love me."

Elena closes her eyes at his touch. She couldn't deny that the feelings were still there, but she didn't think of them as epic. Not anymore.

She looks up into his eyes, "Maybe I still have some leftover feelings for you, but they aren't the same as they were. I am over you."

He leans closer, almost touching her lips with his, "Stop lying to yourself. A love like ours doesn't go away that fast."

She starts to breathe heavier. Maybe he was right. She could feel the excitement she used to feel at the thought of his touch. She moves a little closer. He closes the distance between them and kisses her more passionately than he ever had before. She sighs into it and raps her arms around his neck. He pushes her against the wall and turns his head slightly to deepen the kiss.

"What the hell is going on here?"

They break apart and look over at the Bella, who looked angrier than they had ever seen her. Elena puts her face in her hands and curses herself. She had gotten so lost in the moment. It was the biggest mistake she had ever made. She looks up at Bella, "I am so sorry. I didn't…this wasn't what…Oh, God."

Bella glares at Stefan, "You better leave before I kill you." Stefan takes off and Bella turns to look at Elena, "What was that? Have you just been messing around with my brother until Stefan was available again? Please, tell me that wasn't what you were doing."

Elena shakes her head, "No, of course not. I-I just… I am so confused about my feelings. I love Kol. I really do. But there are still some leftover feelings for Stefan that I can't hide from. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Bella sighs, "I get that. I really do, but you can't lead my brother on. You have to tell him. And you can't see either one of them until you sort out your feelings."

Elena nods, "I know." She looks up, "Do you think it is possible to love two people?"

Bella considers, "I believe it is possible. But you can only love one truly." Bella steps closer, "I can't make this decision for you, Elena. But I can ask you one thing."

Elena looks at her, "What?"

Bella smiles sadly, "You are human. Do you really want to fall in love with a vampire?"

Elena raises a brow, surprised by the question, "I know it isn't ideal, but I can't really help who I love."

Bella thinks about that, "Maybe that is true. I just don't want you to let life pass you by. There are so many experiences that you can have. Don't become a vampire to be with one forever. Stay human."

Elena smiles, "I don't want to be a vampire. Maybe I should reconsider my life options."

Bella laughs, "Maybe you should."

Elena sighs and heads towards the door, "I'm going to go home and do that."

Bella nods and watches her leave. Damon appears behind her, "That was really nice of you. Most sisters would be yelling at the girl found cheating on their brother."

Bella turns around, "She is confused and young. And a human. They need time to consider their feelings."

Damon smirks at her, "And you don't?"

Bella puts her hand on the side of his neck, "Do you really need to ask that? I thought I had made that pretty clear."

Damon shrugs, "I don't know…I might need some more convincing."

Bella leans closer almost kissing him, "What kind of convincing do you need?"

He smiles seductively, "The best kind." He kisses her and she jumps into arms and wraps her legs around his waist.


End file.
